Quantifying the variation of Scaly-sided merganser’ population and their divergent response to changes in hydrological connectivity of rivers in a high-latitude water tower

作者：Yingyi Chen, Mingming Feng, Yanshuang Guo, Guoqiang Shi, Zhengji Piao, De‐Wen Zhang, Yuanchun Zou, Wenguang Zhang, Yuxiang Yuan, Ming Jiang, Peng Qi · 发表于：Ecological Indicators · 年份：2023 · DOI：10.1016/j.ecolind.2023.111264 · 被引用次数：5 · 研究领域：Fish Ecology and Management Studies、Wildlife Ecology and Conservation、Wildlife-Road Interactions and Conservation

The Scaly-sided Merganser (SSME) is a globally endangered waterbird species, primarily inhabiting rivers. In recognition of its precarious status, it was added to the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species in 2002. The SSME is highly sensitive to ecological environmental changes driven by changes in hydrological connectivity, particularly within riverine habitats. Changbai Mountain, a high-latitude water tower in the Northeast Asia, is considered one of the most optimal breeding grounds for the SSME worldwide. Its extensive water system and dense primary forest create an environment particularly well-suited for this species. Over the past 40 years, rivers within Changbai Mountain have experienced phases of hydropower development and ecological restoration. These activities have dramatically altered the hydrological connectivity of the area. However, the response of SSME to these changes in aquatic ecology, driven by shifts in hydrological connectivity, remains uncertain. We employed the AutoRegressive Integrated Moving Average (ARIMA) model to analyze changes in the population size of the SSME. Furthermore, the GeoDetector model was used to understand the impact of ecological changes on the maximum population size (MPS) and distribution of SSME in the context of alterations in hydrological connectivity. Our findings reveal that the restoration of hydrological connectivity, a method of ecological restoration, exerts a bidirection...