Publications

Yang, MY; Xia, SX; Liu, GH; Wang, M; Ding, Z; Yu, PJ; Tang, XG (2020). Effect of hydrological variation on vegetation dynamics for wintering waterfowl in China's Poyang Lake Wetland. GLOBAL ECOLOGY AND CONSERVATION, 22, e01020.

Abstract
Poyang Lake wetland of China, with designated national nature reserves, is one of the most important habitats for waterfowl in the world. During the wintering season, it is home to various rare and endangered species with abundant plant resources. However, extensive disturbances from both global climate change and human activities, such as the construction of hydroelectric dams, have exerted severe impacts on the hydrological regime and the vegetation dynamics in this region. To evaluate the suitability of the habitat for wintering waterfowl, it is necessary to monitor the spatio-temporal changes of vegetation over the protected wetland, and explore the potential environmental driving factors of the changes during the past decades. In this study, the time-series MODIS Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI) data from 2000 to 2018, were used to analyze the seasonal dynamics and interannual tendencies of vegetation coverage over the wintering period from October to January. The results showed that the largest monthly mean EVI generally occurred in November, and was related to the quantity of wintering waterfowl in Poyang Lake wetland. The mean EVI in November had a lagged response to both temperature and accumulated precipitation. Long-term trend analysis revealed that the average EVI of the reserve increased significantly in the winters since the new millennium. Over the past 18 years, the hydrological regime, particularly the water area, is recognized as the dominant environmental factor determining the interannual variation of EVI. From 2010 onwards there was also an increasing influence of temperature. These analyses would help in the creation of appropriate management strategies to protect the habitat of wintering waterfowl in Poyang Lake wetland. (C) 2020 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V.

DOI:
10.1016/j.gecco.2020.e01020

ISSN:
2351-9894