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TELEMAC modelling of the influence of the Poyang Lake Hydraulic Project on the habitat of Vallisneria natans.

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Peer-reviewed

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Article

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Authors

Xiao, Yang 
Wang, Zixuan 
Zhang, Taotao 
Liang, Dongfang 
Gu, Ran 

Abstract

The Poyang Lake Hydraulic Project (PLHP) has been proposed to address the water resource shortage and hydro-environment deterioration in Poyang Lake. This proposal has raised concerns over the possible changes to the habitat of aquatic organisms. Vallisneria natans is a main food source for the Siberian Crane, an indicator species for migratory birds in Poyang Lake. In this study, the influence of the PLHP on the habitat suitability of Vallisneria natans is predicted based on a hydrodynamic model and the growth characteristics of Vallisneria natans. The results show that the effect of the PLHP varies greatly in different typical years. The mean monthly habitat area of Vallisneria natans can increase by up to 191% in a low-water-level year, 145% in a medium-water-level year, yet only 18% in a high-water-level year. The habitat area can reach more than 1000 km2 during most of September and October, nearly 1/3 of the total area of the lake region. It indicates that Vallisneria natans will gain large areas of land suitable for its growth, and provide abundant food sources for Siberian Crane during winter. These findings can be helpful to evaluate the ecological benefits of the regulatory schemes of the PLHP.

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Journal ISSN

2045-2322
2045-2322

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Publisher

Nature Publishing Group
Sponsorship
This study was funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant number U2240209), the Natural Science Foundation of Jiangsu Province (Grant number BK20191299), the Water Conservancy Science and Technology Project of Jiangsu Province (Grant number 2021055), the Belt and Road Special Foundation of the State Key Laboratory of Hydrology-Water Resources and Hydraulic Engineering (Grant number 521013152), and the 111 Project (Grant number B17015).