Chains as strong as the weakest link: remote assessment of aquatic resource use on spring migration by Bewick's Swans

Migratory species are threatened worldwide by climate change, overexploitation, and habitat changes. Availability of suitable habitat is important for flying migrants, and in particular for large birds that use the energetically expensive flapping flight mode, such as the Bewick's Swan (Cygnus...

Descripción completa

Guardado en:

Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores principales:	Rascha J. M. Nuijten, Bart A. Nolet
Formato:	article
Lenguaje:	EN
Publicado:	Resilience Alliance 2020
Materias:	<span style="font-style: normal">cygnus columbianus bewickii</span> conservation fueling macrophytes migratory stopover protected areas submerged aquatic vegetation water sensor Plant culture SB1-1110 Environmental sciences GE1-350 Plant ecology QK900-989
Acceso en línea:	https://doaj.org/article/d88cd1e9075d49cd8f8eedc6503864ac
Etiquetas:	Agregar Etiqueta Sin Etiquetas, Sea el primero en etiquetar este registro!

id	oai:doaj.org-article:d88cd1e9075d49cd8f8eedc6503864ac
record_format	dspace
spelling	oai:doaj.org-article:d88cd1e9075d49cd8f8eedc6503864ac2021-12-02T14:14:42ZChains as strong as the weakest link: remote assessment of aquatic resource use on spring migration by Bewick's Swans1712-6568https://doaj.org/article/d88cd1e9075d49cd8f8eedc6503864ac2020-12-01T00:00:00Zhttps://www.ace-eco.org/vol15/iss2/art14/https://doaj.org/toc/1712-6568Migratory species are threatened worldwide by climate change, overexploitation, and habitat changes. Availability of suitable habitat is important for flying migrants, and in particular for large birds that use the energetically expensive flapping flight mode, such as the Bewick's Swan (Cygnus columbianus bewickii). Bewick's Swans largely feed on aquatic macrophytes during migration that may disappear when nutrient levels, waves, and turbidity exceed certain thresholds. Macrophyte collapse has been suggested as a reason for the sharp decline of the Bewick's Swan population during 1995-2015. We used Bewick's Swans fitted with GPS/GSM neck collars including an accelerometer and water sensor to record the occurrence of aquatic foraging in remote stopovers along their migratory route. We concentrated on spring migration, when stopovers are longer than during autumn, and focused on four key sites identified in earlier tracking studies. Within these sites, we identified areas that are protected based on the World Database on Protected Areas (WDPA). During three years (2017-2019), we obtained a total of 51 complete spring tracks of adult female Bewick's Swans. Most swans showed aquatic foraging along the coast of Estonia and in Dvina Bay, and about half in the Gulf of Finland and Cheskaya Bay. In Estonia and in the Gulf of Finland, swans predominantly used protected zones, but in Dvina Bay swans also foraged extensively in areas that are currently not protected according to WDPA. No protected areas occur in Cheskaya Bay. Macrophyte vegetation is threatened by ongoing or planned construction works in the Gulf of Finland and Dvina Bay, and by future oil and gas exploitation in Cheskaya Bay. Our study shows how migrants can be used as sentinels to pinpoint areas that require protection in order to maintain a chain of suitable stopovers on their migration.Rascha J. M. NuijtenBart A. NoletResilience Alliancearticle<span style="font-style: normal">cygnus columbianus bewickii</span>conservationfuelingmacrophytesmigratory stopoverprotected areassubmerged aquatic vegetationwater sensorPlant cultureSB1-1110Environmental sciencesGE1-350Plant ecologyQK900-989ENAvian Conservation and Ecology, Vol 15, Iss 2, p 14 (2020)
institution	DOAJ
collection	DOAJ
language	EN
topic	<span style="font-style: normal">cygnus columbianus bewickii</span> conservation fueling macrophytes migratory stopover protected areas submerged aquatic vegetation water sensor Plant culture SB1-1110 Environmental sciences GE1-350 Plant ecology QK900-989
spellingShingle	<span style="font-style: normal">cygnus columbianus bewickii</span> conservation fueling macrophytes migratory stopover protected areas submerged aquatic vegetation water sensor Plant culture SB1-1110 Environmental sciences GE1-350 Plant ecology QK900-989 Rascha J. M. Nuijten Bart A. Nolet Chains as strong as the weakest link: remote assessment of aquatic resource use on spring migration by Bewick's Swans
description	Migratory species are threatened worldwide by climate change, overexploitation, and habitat changes. Availability of suitable habitat is important for flying migrants, and in particular for large birds that use the energetically expensive flapping flight mode, such as the Bewick's Swan (Cygnus columbianus bewickii). Bewick's Swans largely feed on aquatic macrophytes during migration that may disappear when nutrient levels, waves, and turbidity exceed certain thresholds. Macrophyte collapse has been suggested as a reason for the sharp decline of the Bewick's Swan population during 1995-2015. We used Bewick's Swans fitted with GPS/GSM neck collars including an accelerometer and water sensor to record the occurrence of aquatic foraging in remote stopovers along their migratory route. We concentrated on spring migration, when stopovers are longer than during autumn, and focused on four key sites identified in earlier tracking studies. Within these sites, we identified areas that are protected based on the World Database on Protected Areas (WDPA). During three years (2017-2019), we obtained a total of 51 complete spring tracks of adult female Bewick's Swans. Most swans showed aquatic foraging along the coast of Estonia and in Dvina Bay, and about half in the Gulf of Finland and Cheskaya Bay. In Estonia and in the Gulf of Finland, swans predominantly used protected zones, but in Dvina Bay swans also foraged extensively in areas that are currently not protected according to WDPA. No protected areas occur in Cheskaya Bay. Macrophyte vegetation is threatened by ongoing or planned construction works in the Gulf of Finland and Dvina Bay, and by future oil and gas exploitation in Cheskaya Bay. Our study shows how migrants can be used as sentinels to pinpoint areas that require protection in order to maintain a chain of suitable stopovers on their migration.
format	article
author	Rascha J. M. Nuijten Bart A. Nolet
author_facet	Rascha J. M. Nuijten Bart A. Nolet
author_sort	Rascha J. M. Nuijten
title	Chains as strong as the weakest link: remote assessment of aquatic resource use on spring migration by Bewick's Swans
title_short	Chains as strong as the weakest link: remote assessment of aquatic resource use on spring migration by Bewick's Swans
title_full	Chains as strong as the weakest link: remote assessment of aquatic resource use on spring migration by Bewick's Swans
title_fullStr	Chains as strong as the weakest link: remote assessment of aquatic resource use on spring migration by Bewick's Swans
title_full_unstemmed	Chains as strong as the weakest link: remote assessment of aquatic resource use on spring migration by Bewick's Swans
title_sort	chains as strong as the weakest link: remote assessment of aquatic resource use on spring migration by bewick's swans
publisher	Resilience Alliance
publishDate	2020
url	https://doaj.org/article/d88cd1e9075d49cd8f8eedc6503864ac
work_keys_str_mv	AT raschajmnuijten chainsasstrongastheweakestlinkremoteassessmentofaquaticresourceuseonspringmigrationbybewicksswans AT bartanolet chainsasstrongastheweakestlinkremoteassessmentofaquaticresourceuseonspringmigrationbybewicksswans
_version_	1718391752481570816

Chains as strong as the weakest link: remote assessment of aquatic resource use on spring migration by Bewick's Swans

Ejemplares similares