Investigating the factors shaping the diversified patterns of habitat use and long-distance movements of migratory species is not only fundamental to understanding the ecology and evolution of migration, but also has direct conservation implications to more effectively preserving globally declining migrant populations. In my dissertation, I used coastal shorebirds as the focal species, and investigated how an ecological understanding in their habitat preferences, habitat quality, as well as migratory movement and migration strategies may inform conservation practices for these rapidly declining species at different scales.In Chapter 1, I quantified the spatiotemporal distribution patterns of local shorebird populations, and found that the upper tidal flats provided more than 70% of the cumulative foraging time for most shorebird populations, disproportionately greater than the size of this stretch of tidal flat. The results could explain why the population decline rates of many shorebird species have far exceeded the overall rate of tidal habitat loss, highlighting the importance of protecting upper tidal flats for the conservation of migratory shorebirds.In Chapter 2, I devised an entirely field-based approach to quantitatively evaluate the quality of a major stopover site for the declining Red Knot. I estimated that the Nanpu tidal flat was operating below, but remarkably close to, its carrying capacity. This approach needs to be applied more broadly to more accurately evaluate how the Red Knot population may respond to changes in habitat quality.In Chapters 3 and 4, I tracked the annual migration of two small shorebird species, Red-necked Stint and Red-necked Phalaropes, using light-level geolocators. Tracking the annual movement of migratory species not only sheds light on the species-specific migration patterns, but also contributes to understanding the factors shaping migration strategies and the vulnerability of these strategies to different anthropogenic threats.Taken together, this dissertation investigated some of the key ecological questions regarding the migration and stopover ecology of migratory, with direct conservation implications in identifying the factors that affect the vulnerability of migratory species to various anthropogenic threats at different scales.

Intertidal mudflats are distinct, highly-productive marine habitats which provide important ecosystem services to the land-sea interface. In contrast to other marine habitats, and despite a large body of primary scientific literature, no comprehensive synthesis exists, such that the scattered knowledge base lacks an integrated conceptual framework. We attempt to provide this synthesis by pulling together and contextualizing the different disciplines, tools, and approaches used in the study of intertidal mudflats. The editor pays particular attention to relationships between the various components of the synthesis, both at the conceptual and the operational levels, validating these relationships through close interaction with the various authors.

P. Berthold and E. Gwinnd Bird migration is an intriguing aspect of the living world - so much so that it has been investigated for as long, and as thoroughly, as almost any other natural phenomenon. Aristotle, who can count as the founder of scientific ornithology, paid very close attention to the migrations of the birds he ob served, but it was not until the reign of Friedrich II, in the first half of the 13th century, that reliable data began to be obtained. From then on, the data base grew rapidly. Systematic studies of bird migration were introduced when the Vogelwarte Rossitten was founded, as the first ornithological biological observation station in the world (see first chapter "In Memory of Vogelwarte Rossitten"). This area later received enormous impetus when ex perimental research on the subject was begun: the large-scale bird-ringing experiment initiated in Rossitten in 1903 by Johannes Thienemann (who was inspired by the pioneering studies of C. C. M. Mortensen), the experiments on photoperiodicity carried out by William Rowan in the 1920s in Canada and retention and release experiments performed by Thienemann in the 1930s in Rossitten, the first experimental study on the orientation of migratory birds. After the Second World War, migration research, while continuing in the previous areas, also expanded into new directions such as radar ornithology, ecophysiology and hormonal control mechanisms, studies of evolution, ge netics, telemetry and others.

The Migration Ecology of Birds, Second Edition covers all aspects of this absorbing subject, including migratory processes, problems of navigation and vagrancy, timing and physiological control of migration, large-scale movement patterns, the effects of recent climate change, the problems that migrants face, and the factors that limit their populations. This book provides a thorough and in-depth review of the state of the science, with the text supplemented by abundant tables, maps and diagrams. Written by a world-renowned avian ecology and migration researcher, this book reveals the extraordinary adaptability of birds to the variable and changing conditions across the globe. This book represents the most updated and detailed review of bird migration, its evolution, ecology and bird physiology. Written in a clear and readable style, it will appeal not only to migration researchers in the field and ornithologists, but to anyone with an interest in this fascinating subject. - Features updated and trending ecological aspects, including various types of bird movements, dispersal and nomadism, and how they relate to food supplies and other external conditions - Contains numerous tables, maps, diagrams, a glossary, and a bibliography of more than 3,000 up-to-date references - Written by an active researcher with a distinguished career in avian ecology, including migration research