Evaluating staging habitat quality to advance the conservation of a declining migratory shorebird, Red Knot Calidris canutus
(2022) In Journal of Applied Ecology 59(8). p.2084-2093- Abstract
Identifying where and when population ‘bottlenecks’ occur is critical to the conservation of migratory species, many of which are declining precipitously worldwide. Especially challenging is the evaluation of changes to staging sites. These sites are indispensable links in the migratory cycle but are typically used only briefly. We devised a field-based approach to assess the quality and carrying capacity of a critical staging site in Nanpu, China, for the declining, migratory Red Knot (Calidris canutus rogersi & C. c. piersmai) during northward migration. The Nanpu tidal flat supports 50,000–100,000 Red Knots annually, and while there, the knots feed almost exclusively on the bivalve Potamocorbula laevis. We simultaneously... (More)
Identifying where and when population ‘bottlenecks’ occur is critical to the conservation of migratory species, many of which are declining precipitously worldwide. Especially challenging is the evaluation of changes to staging sites. These sites are indispensable links in the migratory cycle but are typically used only briefly. We devised a field-based approach to assess the quality and carrying capacity of a critical staging site in Nanpu, China, for the declining, migratory Red Knot (Calidris canutus rogersi & C. c. piersmai) during northward migration. The Nanpu tidal flat supports 50,000–100,000 Red Knots annually, and while there, the knots feed almost exclusively on the bivalve Potamocorbula laevis. We simultaneously monitored changes in the abundance of Red Knots and bivalves across this entire staging site in spring 2018. After taking into account potential competition with other shorebird species, we estimated that the Nanpu tidal flat was capable of supporting approximately 1.46–1.70 times the observed level of Red Knot usage of this site, and therefore is operating below, but close to, carrying capacity with respect to food resources for Red Knots. This result suggests that any further habitat loss or degradation at this site could harm the Red Knot population along the entire East Asian-Australasian Flyway. Synthesis and applications. Quantitative monitoring and evaluation of habitat quality of staging sites are essential to successfully conserve declining migratory species. In particular, researchers and conservation practitioners should incorporate both population size and staging duration to more accurately assess the importance of different sites and to quantify how changes in staging habitat quality may translate into changes in the population sizes of migratory species at both local and global scales.
(Less)
- author
- Mu, Tong ; Cai, Shangxiao ; Peng, He Bo ; Hassell, Chris J. ; Boyle, Adrian ; Zhang, Zhengwang ; Piersma, Theunis and Wilcove, David S.
- publishing date
- 2022-08
- type
- Contribution to journal
- publication status
- published
- subject
- keywords
- Calidris canutus, carrying capacity, conservation, habitat quality, migration, Red Knot, staging site
- in
- Journal of Applied Ecology
- volume
- 59
- issue
- 8
- pages
- 10 pages
- publisher
- John Wiley & Sons Inc.
- external identifiers
-
- scopus:85130717838
- ISSN
- 0021-8901
- DOI
- 10.1111/1365-2664.14220
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- no
- additional info
- Publisher Copyright: © 2022 The Authors. Journal of Applied Ecology © 2022 British Ecological Society.
- id
- 6a85669f-0a7e-414e-893c-eada2db0104d
- date added to LUP
- 2022-08-18 12:04:54
- date last changed
- 2022-08-18 12:04:54
@article{6a85669f-0a7e-414e-893c-eada2db0104d,
abstract = {{<p>Identifying where and when population ‘bottlenecks’ occur is critical to the conservation of migratory species, many of which are declining precipitously worldwide. Especially challenging is the evaluation of changes to staging sites. These sites are indispensable links in the migratory cycle but are typically used only briefly. We devised a field-based approach to assess the quality and carrying capacity of a critical staging site in Nanpu, China, for the declining, migratory Red Knot (Calidris canutus rogersi & C. c. piersmai) during northward migration. The Nanpu tidal flat supports 50,000–100,000 Red Knots annually, and while there, the knots feed almost exclusively on the bivalve Potamocorbula laevis. We simultaneously monitored changes in the abundance of Red Knots and bivalves across this entire staging site in spring 2018. After taking into account potential competition with other shorebird species, we estimated that the Nanpu tidal flat was capable of supporting approximately 1.46–1.70 times the observed level of Red Knot usage of this site, and therefore is operating below, but close to, carrying capacity with respect to food resources for Red Knots. This result suggests that any further habitat loss or degradation at this site could harm the Red Knot population along the entire East Asian-Australasian Flyway. Synthesis and applications. Quantitative monitoring and evaluation of habitat quality of staging sites are essential to successfully conserve declining migratory species. In particular, researchers and conservation practitioners should incorporate both population size and staging duration to more accurately assess the importance of different sites and to quantify how changes in staging habitat quality may translate into changes in the population sizes of migratory species at both local and global scales.</p>}},
author = {{Mu, Tong and Cai, Shangxiao and Peng, He Bo and Hassell, Chris J. and Boyle, Adrian and Zhang, Zhengwang and Piersma, Theunis and Wilcove, David S.}},
issn = {{0021-8901}},
keywords = {{Calidris canutus; carrying capacity; conservation; habitat quality; migration; Red Knot; staging site}},
language = {{eng}},
number = {{8}},
pages = {{2084--2093}},
publisher = {{John Wiley & Sons Inc.}},
series = {{Journal of Applied Ecology}},
title = {{Evaluating staging habitat quality to advance the conservation of a declining migratory shorebird, Red Knot Calidris canutus}},
url = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/1365-2664.14220}},
doi = {{10.1111/1365-2664.14220}},
volume = {{59}},
year = {{2022}},
}