Research on the bird diversity and key ecological elements of wetlands affecting bird distribution and restoration...

The ecological elements of wetlands are vital for biodiversity conservation and ecosystem restoration. Despite significant restoration efforts in major regions of China over the past fifty years, key ecological factors affecting bird distribution in arid wetlands of small to medium-sized cities remain unclear. The ecological elements of wetlands are crucial for the conservation of biodiversity and the restoration of wetland ecosystems. Despite extensive restoration efforts in major regions of China over the past half-century, there remains a lack of clarity regarding the key ecological factors influencing bird distribution in arid areas of small to medium-sized cities. The results indicate that (1) Habitat factors can be categorized into four levels based on their impact on bird community distribution, with distance to roads (DR) and grassland area (GA) having the greatest influence. (2) In response to the issues identified within wetlands, this study proposes restoration strategies based on the ecological elements of wetland, including water surface expansion, water level control, improvement of hydrodynamic conditions, shallow beach transformation, and vegetation management and disturbance control. The findings of this study underscore the importance of water level fluctuations, emergent vegetation coverage, mudflat area, and anthropogenic disturbances in avian habitat selection. Therefore, wetland ecological restoration should consider the specific habitat requirements of different bird species. The model provides important references for bird conservation in wetland parks and offers theoretical basis and methodological support for ecological restoration of wetlands.