Temporal and Spatial Evolution of Herbivorous Waterbird Habitat in Floodplain Wetland Driven by Hydrology

• Published in: Water resources research Vol. 59; no. 8
• Main Authors: Teng, Jiakun, Xia, Shaoxia, Duan, Houlang, Liu, Yu, Yu, Xiubo, Yang, Wenjuan
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Washington John Wiley & Sons, Inc 01-08-2023
• Subjects: Anser albifrons; Anser fabalis; Aquatic birds; Climate and human activity; Climate variability; Distribution; Floodplains; Geographical distribution; Global positioning systems; GPS; habitat; Habitats; hydrological rhythm; Hydrology; Lakes; Landsat; Landsat satellites; Normalized difference vegetative index; Poyang Lake; Remote sensing; Satellite data; Satellite navigation systems; Satellite tracking; Three Gorges Dam; Vegetation index; Waterfowl; Watersheds; Wetlands; wintering geese
• ISSN: 0043-1397; 1944-7973
• DOI: 10.1029/2022WR034399

The hydrological rhythm of floodplain wetlands affected by natural climate variability and human activities is the driving factor affecting the distribution of herbivorous geese habitats. It has always been challenging to determine its long‐term variation, due to the lack of data on species distribution and broad wetland observation. In this study, the key normalized difference vegetation index threshold range suitable for herbivorous geese, greater white‐fronted geese (Anser albifrons, GWG) and bean geese (Anser fabalis, BG), was discovered by combining GPS tracking data with Landsat satellite data. The suitable habitat area and distribution variation characteristics of GWG and BG from 1982 to 2020 were extracted based on the threshold range. The results showed that the suitable habitat area had a declining trend after 2003, that the distribution had moved toward the lake's center, and that its average elevation had decreased by around 1 m, particularly during the arrival period. The change of herbivorous geese habitat is caused by the continuous drying of Poyang Lake. The study can offer a rational scientific foundation for wetland waterbird protection and watershed hydrological management.
Key Points
The changes of herbivorous geese habitats in different periods of wintering in Poyang Lake for about 40 years were extracted
The habitat for herbivorous geese shrank and moved to the lake center after 2003, particularly during the geese arriving period
The herbivorous geese habitat shrinkage was due to the drying of Poyang Lake