Hydrological modelling for siberian crane Grus Leucogeranus stopover sites in northeast China

Haibo Jiang; Chunguang He; Lianxi Sheng; Zhanhui Tang; Yang Wen; Tingting Yan; Changlin Zou

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0122687

Hydrological modelling for siberian crane Grus Leucogeranus stopover sites in northeast China

PLoS One. 2015 Apr 15;10(4):e0122687. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0122687. eCollection 2015.

Authors

Haibo Jiang¹, Chunguang He¹, Lianxi Sheng¹, Zhanhui Tang¹, Yang Wen¹, Tingting Yan¹, Changlin Zou²

Affiliations

¹ State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Wetland Ecology and Vegetation Restoration, School of Environment, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, China.
² Momoge National Nature Reserve of Jilin, Zhenlai, China.

Abstract

Habitat loss is one of the key factors underlying the decline of many waterbird species, including Siberian Crane (Grus leucogeranus), a threatened species worldwide. Wetlands are the primary stopover for many waterbirds and restoration of these wetlands involves both hydrological restoration and water resource management. To protect the stopover sites of Siberian Cranes, we collected Siberian Crane stopover numbers, meteorological and hydrological data, and remote sensing data from 2008 to 2011 in Momoge National Nature Reserve, one of the largest wetlands in northeastern China. A model was developed to estimate the suitability of Siberian Crane stopover sites. According to our results, the most suitable daily water level for Siberian Cranes between 2008 and 2012 occurred in the spring of 2008 and in the Scirpus planiculmis growing season and autumn of 2010. We suggest a season-dependent water management strategy in order to provide suitable conditions at Siberian Crane stopover sites.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Algorithms*
Animal Migration / physiology*
Animals
Birds / physiology*
China
Conservation of Natural Resources / methods
Endangered Species
Geography
Hydrology / methods
Hydrology / statistics & numerical data
Models, Theoretical*
Population Dynamics
Seasons
Wetlands*

Grants and funding

This study was supported by the China National special funds of science and technology for control and remediation of water pollution (Project NO. 2012ZX07201-001-03) and the Scientific Research Project Sponsored by Special Funds of the State Environmental Protection Public Welfare Industry (Project NO. 2011467032). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.