Anseriformes in Lake Izunuma-Uchinuma

Abstract

Lake Izunuma-Uchinuma, located in northern Japan, is one of the largest wintering sites for Anseriformes in Japan. Swans, geese and ducks widely demand a variety of foods like plants, fishes and crustaceans in/around the lake that constitute an essential basement of the regional ecosystem. Thus, Anseriformes contains an appropriate species group to serve as indicators to assess changes in the ecosystem. I here reviewed long-term trends in the numbers, wintering ecology and responses to changes in the ecosystem for Anseriformes in Lake Izunuma-Uchinuma, and discussed conservation issues such as avian influenza and global warming.