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Plateau Wetlands, an Indispensible Habitat for the Black-Necked Crane (Grus nigricollis) - A Review

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Abstract

As a highly productive and sensitive ecosystem, plateau wetlands provide indispensable habitats for Grus nigricollis, an endangered species of crane. However, the destruction and degeneration of plateau wetlands caused by climate change and human disturbance have influenced the habitats and biological behaviors of Grus nigricollis. Previous studies have ignored the importance of particular habitats to the continued existence of Grus nigricollis, especially with regard to extremely fragile plateau wetland systems. In this review, the importance of plateau wetlands for the breeding, overwintering and foraging of Grus nigricollis is summarized; the impact of human activities and climate change on Grus nigricollis and on plateau wetland habitats is also presented. Further monitoring and research is required to produce substantive suggestions vis-à-vis future, and better, conservation of Grus nigricollis and its habitats.

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Acknowledgments

Thanks to our group from the Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, especially to Dr. Haifeng Gao and Yanhong Guo for support conducting wetland field surveys and investigations. This study was funded by the Major State Basic Research Development Program of China (973 Program) (Grant No. 2010CB951701). The research was also supported by the Strategic Priority Research Program (B) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (Grant No. XDB01030300).

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  1. Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 16 Lincui Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing, 100101, People’s Republic of China

    Hongtao Song, Yinsheng Zhang, Haifeng Gao & Yanhong Guo

  2. Institute of Wetland Research, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Beijing, 100091, China

    Shengnan Li

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  1. Hongtao Song
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Song, H., Zhang, Y., Gao, H. et al. Plateau Wetlands, an Indispensible Habitat for the Black-Necked Crane (Grus nigricollis) - A Review. Wetlands 34, 629–639 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13157-014-0559-5

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