Obiettivo
Environmental change such as pollution, eutrophication and wetland loss is disrupting both the biodiversity of aquatic ecosystems, and the migratory patterns of waterfowl. Since transport by migratory waterfowl is the only significant factor of dispersal for key groups of aquatic organisms such as zooplankton and pondweeds, it is likely that bird migration will be an important factor determining the biodiversity of zooplankton and pondweeds. Models to predict the interactions between waterfowl migration and aquatic biodiversity must be developed to provide tools which can be used in the conservation and wetland management. An integrated, inter-disciplinary programme of field- and laboratory work is planned. The results will be of importance to researchers involved in modelling the biotic consequences of global climate change. They will also be of benefit to plant and bird conservationists, as well as people involved in wildfowl management at both a local and an international scale. There are four main objectives to the work:
First, to characterise the biodiversity of pondweed and zooplankton communities, in areas both inside and outside of the main European waterfowl migration routes, through the use of field surveys. The biodiversity will be related to environmental conditions and geographic location with respect to waterfowl migration routes.
Second, to determine the potential of waterfowl to act as carriers of pondweeds and zooplankton, between different catchments, using both feeding experiments and bird migration modelling.
Retention time and survivorship of pondweed and zooplankton propagules after waterfowl ingestion will be assessed for several species of birds, together with probabilities of external transport.
Probabilistic bird migration models will be developed from current migration data, but will incorporate stochasticity to model the effects of changes in migration route arising from, for example, land use change or climate change.
Third, to quantify the relationship between intra-specific genetic diversity in two model species of pondweed and zooplankton, and the inter-specific diversity of each community as a whole.
Molecular markers will be used in combination with morphometric techniques to characterise the community diversity, and polymorphic genetic markers to investigate the intra-specific diversity and gene flow.
Finally, to develop an integrated, spatially articulate modelling system to predict the long-term impact of changes in bird-migration patterns on the inter- and intraspecific biodiversity of wetland communities. These modelling tools will operate within a GIS framework, via a graphical user interface, and will be of use in the conservation and biodiversity management of wetland habitats.
Campo scientifico
- natural sciencesbiological scienceszoologyornithology
- natural sciencesbiological sciencesecologyecosystems
- natural sciencesearth and related environmental scienceshydrologylimnology
- natural sciencesearth and related environmental sciencesatmospheric sciencesclimatologyclimatic changes
- natural sciencescomputer and information sciencessoftwaresoftware applicationssimulation software
Argomento(i)
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Data not availableMeccanismo di finanziamento
CSC - Cost-sharing contractsCoordinatore
NE1 7RU Newcastle - Upon Tyne
Regno Unito