Patterns of movement through time are important components of animal behavior and key to understanding animal ecology. Due to methodological challenges, including tracing and analyzing movements and their changes, they are seldom studied to identify both seasonal patterns and their driving forces. Using seven GPS-collared red-crowned cranes (Grus japonensis, RCCs), we recorded their moving distances and concurrent climatic data to analyze the relative importance of these factors in RCC movements. Temperature was identified as the most important of these climatic variables in RCC movements. Based on temperature dependence and researcher expertise, we determined RCC temporal movement patterns as mating, brooding, wading, and growing with specific temporal periods partitioning. With the distance quantile of movement, we also identified the preferred temperature ranges in each temporal pattern. The four specific temporal partitionings of breeding movement and their preferred temperature ranges can effectively help wildlife managers devise conservation budgets and allocate resources. Our study provides a robust methodology in the partitioning of avian temporal movement patterns and further the understanding of animal behavior ecology, which is applicable to the study and conservation of other species, as well as for RCCs.
Ecological water replenishment (EWR) has been increasingly applied to the restoration and maintenance of wetland hydrological conditions across China since the beginning of the 21st century. However, little is known about whether EWR projects help protect and/or restore wetland ecohydrology. As one of the earliest and longest-running EWR projects in China, water has been released from the Nenjiang River into the Zhalong wetland since 2001. It is important to examine the ecohydrological effects of this EWR project. In this study, long time series remote sensing data were used to extract the water area, inundation frequency, and normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) to explore how eco-hydrological conditions changed during the pre- (1984–2000) and post-EWR (2001–2018) periods in the Zhalong wetland. Results show that the inundation area decreased due to the reduced surface water inflow during the pre-EWR period. Similarly, monthly vegetation NDVI in the growing season generally exhibited a decreasing and an increasing trend during the pre- and post-EWR periods, respectively. In the post-EWR period, NDVI increased by 19%, 73%, 45%, 28%, 13% for the months of May through September, respectively. Due to EWR, vegetation growth in areas with low inundation frequency was better than in areas with high inundation frequency. We found that the EWR project, runoff, and precipitation contributed 25%, 11%, and 64% to changes in the NDVI, respectively, and 46%, 37%, and 17% to changes in inundation area, respectively. These results indicate that the EWR project has improved hydrological conditions in the Zhalong wetland. For further maximum benefits of EWR in the Zhalong wetlands, we suggest that implementing similar eco-hydrological projects in the future should focus on flood pulse management to increase the inundation area, improve hydrological connectivity, and create new habitats.
Information on reproductive biology is crucial in formulating policy to manage and conserve mahseer in Atu Suasah and Lawe Melang Rivers, Aceh, Indonesia. This research aimed to analyse and compare of mahseer biology including sex ratio, length and weight relationship, Fulton and relative condition factor and fecundity to estimate the reproductive potential of mahseer in these two rivers. The study was conducted from July to December 2019. Mahseer samples were obtained from fishermen who captured the fish using gillnet with mesh size 1.5-2.0 inch. The specimens collected were placed in a coolbox and transported to the Aquatic Resources Management Department of IPB University in Bogor for further analysis. Regression, chi-square, Mann Whitney test and t-test were applied to analyze reproductive biology parameters. There was no significant between-site difference in the reproductive parameters of mahseer from Atu Suasah and Lawe Melang Rivers. The sex ratio was balanced. The growth pattern was allometric negative and the Fulton condition remained stable over the six month study period. Mahseer in the 610-710 mm length class made the largest contribution to total egg production. Management and conservation of this fish should include the designation of a reservation area to mantain larval production as the source of recruits.
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