Abstract:Waterfowl activities transport nutrients, such as nitrogen and phosphorus, to terrestrial habitats, and cause soil nutrient enrichment, which may change the vegetation communities, and species richness of habitat ecosystems. To investigate the influence of waterfowl inhabitation on soil physicochemical properties and plant community characteristics, the changes in plant community and soil physicochemical property were studied in Shunde Waterbird Paradise, Xinghu Wetland, and Jiangmen Little Bird Paradise of Guangdong Province. The results showed that waterbird activities significantly increased the soil total phosphorus, available phosphorus, and inorganic phosphorus contents. In Shunde and Xinghu, the organic phosphorus content of the inhabited area was significantly higher than that of the control area. The plant richness and Shannon diversity index of inhabited areas were significantly lower than those of the control area. The total explanation rate of four environmental factors, including soil pH, density, organic matter, and available phosphorus, on plant community variation were 46% (P＜0.05), among which available phosphorus was the most influential factor. Therefore, it was suggested that waterbird activity significantly increases the contents of various phosphorus fractions in the soil and decreases plant diversity.
