Global climate change has significantly impacted waterbird communities in the warming and humidifying wetlands of the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau. However, further research is needed as these wetlands transition to warmer and drier states. This study focused on the diversity and richness of wintering birds in the alpine wetlands of the Yamzho Yumco Lake. By analyzing data collected from 17 sampling sites over seven years, we examined the abundance changes of waterbirds in the lake and surrounding land and determined the relationship between the structure of waterbird communities and climate data. The results have shown that the abundance, richness, and α-diversity index of wintering waterbirds fluctuated. Wintering waterbirds were positively correlated with monthly mean temperature and monthly mean higher temperature and negatively correlated with monthly total precipitation and water level. Principal component analysis (PCA) showed that temperature contributed the most to the wintering waterbirds. Bird abundance and diversity in the drying wetlands of Yamzho Yumco Lake showed the same results. As temperatures continue to increase and precipitation decreases, the number of wintering waterbirds may also increase. We have highlighted the indicative role of Yamzho Yumco Lake in climate change responses from warming and humidification to warming and aridification and suggest that decision makers strengthen monitoring of the Yamzho Yumco Lake Reserve, restrict human activities, improve water resource management, and actively respond to the challenges brought about by climate change.

Understanding the mechanisms underlying seasonal community dynamics is important for predicting biodiversity responses to environmental fluctuations, enhancing ecological forecasting, and informing conservation strategies. In this study, we use standard transect and mist netting methods investigated seasonal altitudinal migration patterns of montane bird species in the Gyirong Valley, Central Himalayas. Our results showed four distinct altitudinal migration patterns among montane bird species: no shift, downslope shift, upslope shift, and contraction to mid-elevation zones. Species with smaller body weight and higher ratios of wing length, tail length, and tarsus length to body weight tended to migrate to lower elevations. Insectivorous birds exhibited a collective downslope shift, while omnivorous birds showed a wider range of migratory responses to seasonal variation. Migratory behavior was found to dynamically modulate the association between phenotypic traits and habitat preferences. During the breeding season, species (70.44%) and functional turnover (80.02%) dominated, while in the non-breeding season, nestedness significantly contributed to species (49.37%) and functional diversity (38.09%). In addition, migration can disrupt the direct influence of environmental variables on biodiversity patterns, providing important insights for montane biodiversity conservation under climate change. Our results highlight the critical need to safeguard low-elevation winter habitats and create dynamic protected areas to aid bird conservation amidst climate change.

Gut microbes play a crucial role in regulating physiological processes such as host energy metabolism, nutrient absorption, and environmental adaptation. The predicted functions of gut microbes can be influenced by many factors, both extrinsic and intrinsic to the hosts. The plateau pika is a key species in the alpine ecosystem of the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau. Previous research on the plateau pika primarily examined how extrinsic factors affected its gut microbiota. However, studies on intrinsic factors are scarce. Here, we used live-trapping to capture plateau pikas and collect cecum contents. Using metagenomic sequencing of cecum content samples, we characterized and compared the gut microbial composition and predicted function of plateau pika in adult (n = 9) and juvenile (n = 9) populations. The results indicated that Bacillota and Bacteroidete were the major bacterial phyla. The core gut microbial genera were the same, but the relative abundance of Oscillospira in juveniles was significantly lower than that in adults. The changes in the proportion of cellulose-degradation-related bacterial communities in juveniles suggest that they tend to choose low-fiber diets. In this study, we found no significant differences in the gut microbial composition and diversity, KEGG level 1 metabolic pathways, or CAZy class level between adult and juvenile plateau pikas. In total, the composition and predicted functions of cecal microorganisms in juvenile and adult male plateau pikas were not different. Regarding KEGG level 2 metabolic pathways, the juvenile group had a higher relative abundance of metabolic pathways for cofactors and vitamins, terpenoids, and polyketides, whereas the adult group had a higher relative abundance of energy metabolism. However, the resulting differences remain unclear. Therefore, future research should validate the above findings on a broader spatio-temporal scale and conduct cross-species comparisons to construct a microbial ecological framework for the health management of plateau wild animals.

Understanding the migratory strategies of plateau-endemic species is essential for informing effective conservation, especially under climate change. The Black-necked Crane (Grus nigricollis), a high-altitude specialist, has shown notable population growth in recent years. We analysed satellite tracking data from 16 individuals of a western subpopulation in the lake basin region of northern Tibet (2021–2024), focusing on migration patterns, stopover use, and habitat selection. This subpopulation exhibited short-distance (mean: 284.21 km), intra-Tibet migrations with low reliance on stopover sites. Autumn migration was shorter, more direct, higher in altitude, and slower in speed than spring migration. Juveniles used smaller, more fragmented habitats than subadults, and their spatial range expanded over time. Given these patterns, we infer that the short-distance migration strategy may reduce energetic demands and mortality risks while increasing route flexibility—characteristics that may benefit population growth. We refer to this as a low-energy, high-efficiency migration strategy, which we hypothesise could support faster population growth and enhance resilience to environmental change. We recommend prioritizing the conservation of short-distance migration corridors, such as the typical lake basin area in northern Tibet–Yarlung Tsangpo River system, which may help sustain plateau-endemic migratory populations under future climate scenarios.

Diet, morphological traits, and other ecological characteristics may influence the composition of bird communities. The southern slopes of the Himalayas are one of the global hotspots for avian species diversity. However, systematic research on the distribution patterns of birds in this region and the intrinsic links between these patterns and ecological characteristics has not yet been reported. This research gap limits our comprehensive understanding of the avian ecosystem in this area and affects the formulation of targeted conservation strategies. Using standard transect methods and mist-netting, we surveyed bird species, their numbers, as well as the habitats in four 300 m elevation bands during the breeding season (May–June 2024) in the middle elevations of the Gyirong Valley, a typical valley on the southern slope of the Himalayas. We analyzed the bird species composition, habitat distribution, and the influence of ecological characteristics on bird distribution patterns using R 4.4. During the field survey of the breeding season in the middle elevations of the Gyirong Valley, a total of 76 bird species were recorded. Among them, birds from the families Muscicapidae and Phylloscopidae within the order Passeriformes constitute the dominant groups. Insectivorous and omnivorous birds were the main groups in the Gyirong Valley. Birds with different diets and morphological traits show distinct differentiation in habitat selection. The higher the specialization rate of ecological traits, the smaller the population size of the birds, and the more likely they are to become endangered species. Moreover, morphological traits significantly influenced the distribution patterns of birds in the middle elevations of the Gyirong Valley. Therefore, when formulating conservation strategies for birds in the Gyirong Valley, it is essential to fully consider the differences in habitat requirements for birds with different ecological traits.