摘要
International conservation efforts for migratory populations are most effectively based on quantification of the geographical linkages between wintering, staging, and breeding areas, patterns that may not remain constant in times of global change. We used stable isotope (δ 13C, δ 15N, and δ 2H) measurements of different tissues representing distinct periods of dietary integration to quantify the non-breeding provenance of a threatened staging population of Ruffs Philomachus pugnax. In 199 staging Ruffs captured in 2012 during northward migration in the Netherlands, we compared the multi-isotope patterns of feathers grown at wintering grounds, with the δ 13C and δ 15N profiles of blood cells and plasma representative of staging areas. Few birds had the 13C-depleted and 15N-enriched feathers suggestive of wintering quarters in European agricultural areas. Most Ruffs had higher feather δ 13C values, suggesting that they wintered in sub-Saharan Africa. Feather δ 2H values were not informative due to the overlap of values from European and African moulting sites. Blood cell δ 13C and δ 15N values indicated that sub-Saharan Ruffs fuelled on low trophic-level foods in habitats dominated by C3 terrestrial or freshwater aquatic primary production, e.g. the rice fields in Africa or the Mediterranean. Stable isotope ratios in plasma suggested that Ruffs made stopovers in southern European agricultural areas. Stable isotopes thus enabled assessments of wintering origin in large numbers of birds. We further propose that conservation measures to protect Ruffs must include the adequate management of sub-Saharan wetlands, based on a better understanding of the role of human-made rice fields for fuelling birds.
摘要译文
移徙人群的国际保护努力最有效的基础是量化越冬，分期和繁殖地区之间的地理联系，在全球变化时期可能不会保持不变的模式。我们使用稳定同位素（δ13 C，δ15 N， 2 / sup H）不同组织的测量结果，代表不同的膳食整合时期，以量化受威胁的Ruffs Philomachus pugnax分期种群的非繁殖来源。在2012年在荷兰向北迁徙期间捕获的199个阶段中，我们比较了在越冬地种植的羽毛的多同位素模式，其中代表分期区域的血细胞和血浆的δ13 C和δ15 N曲线。很少有鸟类具有sup 13 / sup C耗尽和sup 15 / sup N富集羽毛，提示欧洲农业区的越冬季节。大多数出场羽毛具有较高的δ13 C值，暗示他们在撒哈拉以南非洲地区越冬。由于来自欧洲和非洲的蜕皮位点的值重叠，羽毛δ2 H值没有提供信息。d细胞δsup 13 / sup C和δsup 15 / sup N值表明撒哈拉以南地区的Ruffs以低营养级食物为燃料，以C3陆生或淡水水生初级生产为主，例如非洲或地中海的稻田。血浆中稳定的同位素比率表明Ruffs在南欧农业区停留。因此，稳定的同位素能够评估大量鸟类越冬的起源。我们进一步提出保护Ruffs的保护措施必须包括对撒哈拉以南的湿地进行适当的管理，基于更好地理解人造稻田对鸟类燃料的作用。
Lucie E. Schmaltz; A. H. Jelle Loonstra; Eddy Wymenga…. Quantifying the non-breeding provenance of staging Ruffs, Philomachus pugnax, using stable isotope analysis of different tissues[J]. Journal of Ornithology, 2018,159(1): 191-203