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Waterbirds and their Habitat Utilization of Artificial Wetlands at Dianchi Lake: Implication for Waterbird Conservation in Yunnan–Guizhou Plateau Lakes

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Abstract

The effects of coastal artificial wetlands on waterbirds have been studied more extensively in China, but the annual composition of waterbirds and their utilization of constructed wetlands in Yunnan–Guizhou Plateau lakes are poorly understood. We conducted 36 waterbird surveys over a year at Dianchi Lake, and found that it supports diverse habitats for breeders (16 species), migrants (27 species) and winter visitors (29 species). Among artificial wetland types, we found that mixed vegetation, low emerging plant and mudflat wetlands supported higher species richness and density than the other wetland types. Our findings had the following implications: management of Yunnan–Guizhou Plateau lakes should take the requirements of different waterbirds into consideration; and maintenance of low emerging plants and mixed vegetation, as well as mudflats, is crucial to accommodate the diverse habitat requirements of waterbirds.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Dr. Heqi Wu, Dr. Xueyou Li, Dr. Guangyi Lu and two anonymous referees for their insight, encouragement, and many constructive suggestions for improvement. This work was supported by the second Terrestrial Wild Animal Resources Investigation of Yunnan Province, China.

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  1. State Key Laboratory of Genetic Resources and Evolution, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, 650223, China

    Rongxing Wang, Fei Wu, Yunyan Chang & Xiaojun Yang

  2. Kunming College of Life Science, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, 650204, China

    Rongxing Wang

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  1. Rongxing Wang
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Correspondence to Xiaojun Yang.

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Wang, R., Wu, F., Chang, Y. et al. Waterbirds and their Habitat Utilization of Artificial Wetlands at Dianchi Lake: Implication for Waterbird Conservation in Yunnan–Guizhou Plateau Lakes. Wetlands 36, 1087–1095 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13157-016-0823-y

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