scholarly journals A Test of Cues Affecting Habitat Selection by Wading Birds

The Auk ◽  
2007 ◽  
Vol 124 (3) ◽  
pp. 1075-1082 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dale E. Gawlik ◽  
Gaea E. Crozier
Keyword(s):  
Habitat Selection ◽  
Shallow Water ◽  
Water Level ◽  
Water Depth ◽  
Water Levels ◽  
Environmental Cues ◽  
Wading Birds ◽  
Foraging Habitat ◽  
Fluctuating Water Level ◽  
Selection Of

Abstract We examined foraging-habitat selection by free-ranging wading birds presented with different social and environmental cues by conducting two experiments in eight replicate ponds adjacent to the northern border of the Florida Everglades. The first experiment examined the relative influence of a social (presence of a flock of decoys) and environmental (water depth) cue on the selection of ponds. The second experiment examined the influence of two environmental cues (water depth and fluctuating water level) on the selection of ponds. In the first experiment, wading birds were most attracted to ponds with both the presence of a flock of decoys and shallow water. The social and environmental cues both had the same attractive potential to wading birds. In the second experiment, birds were again attracted to ponds with shallow water; however, fluctuating water level had no significant influence on foraging-habitat selection. If birds do not perceive fluctuating water levels as a cue to habitat quality, then the well-documented relationship between nesting success and fluctuating water levels likely stems from birds responding to factors that covary with water-level changes. Una Prueba de las Señales que Afectan la Selección de Hábitat por Aves Vadeadoras

Habitat Use by Wading Birds in a Subtropical Estuary: Implications of Hydrography

The Auk ◽  
1987 ◽  
Vol 104 (4) ◽  
pp. 740-749 ◽  
Author(s):  
George V. N. Powell
Keyword(s):  
Habitat Use ◽  
Water Level ◽  
Survey Data ◽  
Water Levels ◽  
Tidal Range ◽  
Habitat Availability ◽  
Wading Birds ◽  
Foraging Habitat ◽  
Ardea Herodias ◽  
Wading Bird

Abstract The dynamics of foraging habitat use by long-legged wading birds was analyzed with respect to water-level fluctuation patterns in Florida Bay. Wading-bird presence at four sites situated to sample the heterogeneity of the bay was quantified by repeated surveys collected throughout the day and year. Models for habitat availability were generated using water-level data collected from continuous recorders, staff guages, and habitat profile maps. These models were tested against the survey data. Roseate Spoonbills (Ajaia ajaja) foraged on the study areas primarily at night. Great Blue Herons (Ardea herodias) fed both day and night, but primarily at night where the tidal range was small. Great Egrets (Casmerodius albus), Snowy (Egretta thula) and Reddish (E. rufescens) egrets, Little Blue (E. caerulea) and Tricolored (E. tricolor) herons, and White Ibis (Eudocimus albus) fed during daylight. Where tidal range was small (<5 cm) diurnal species fed throughout the day. Florida Bay has a pronounced annual water-level cycle that causes monthly mean water levels to vary by as much as 30 cm between October (high) and May (low). Models derived from hydrology data predicted that this seasonal variation in water level would have a major impact on habitat availability, particularly where tidal flux was small. The predictions were supported by survey data. At sites with minor tides, most wading-bird species had a cycle in seasonal abundance that correlated with seasonal changes in water level; only the tallest species, Ardea herodias, was uniformly present throughout the year. The large daily range in tide (x̄ = 80 cm) afforded year-round access to foraging habitat, and these abundance patterns did not exist. The seasonal variability in habitat availability has major management implications because the maintenance of stable wading-bird populations depends on the availability of alternative foraging sites when water levels are high. Historically, these sites have tended to be targeted for human development.

Seedling recruitment of 11 wetland plant species along a water level gradient: shared or distinct responses?

1985 ◽  
Vol 63 (10) ◽  
pp. 1876-1879 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul A. Keddy ◽  
Timothy H. Ellis
Keyword(s):  
Water Level ◽  
Plant Species ◽  
Water Depth ◽  
Seedling Recruitment ◽  
Substrate Surface ◽  
Lythrum Salicaria ◽  
Water Levels ◽  
Acorus Calamus ◽  
Spartina Pectinata ◽  
Sagittaria Latifolia

Where many different plant species occupy an environmental gradient, the responses of their offspring to that gradient could show one of two patterns. All species could have similar requirements for maximum recruitment, in which case all would show maximum germination and emergence in the same region of the gradient ("shared responses"). Alternatively, each species could have different requirements for recruitment and therefore would show maximum recruitment in different regions of the gradient ("distinct responses"). The objective of this study was to test between these two alternatives in plants occurring along a water level gradient. Seeds of 11 wetland species were allowed to germinate in sand along a gradient of water depth, ranging from 10 cm above to 5 cm below the substrate surface. Scirpus americanus, S. validus, Sagittaria latifolia, Typha angustifolia, and Lythrum salicaria showed no significant response to this gradient, while Spartina pectinata, Polygonum punctatum, Bidens cernua, Acorus calamus, Alisma plantago-aquatica, and Eupatorium perfoliatum did. However, the six species in the latter group did not exhibit shared preferences along the water depth gradient. These different recruitment patterns were consistent with adult distributions in the field. Most species showed some recruitment at all water levels examined, suggesting that they have broad tolerance limits for water level in the recruitment phase of their life history.

scholarly journals The importance of seasonal environmental factors in the foraging habitat selection of Alpine Ring Ouzels Turdus torquatus alpestris

Ibis ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 162 (2) ◽  
pp. 505-519
Author(s):  
Arnaud G. Barras ◽  
Sophie Marti ◽  
Sarah Ettlin ◽  
Sergio Vignali ◽  
Jaime Resano‐Mayor ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Habitat Selection ◽  
Environmental Factors ◽  
Foraging Habitat ◽  
Selection Of

Effects of nutrients and water levels on emergent macrophyte biomass in a prairie marsh

1990 ◽  
Vol 68 (5) ◽  
pp. 1007-1014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher Neill
Keyword(s):  
Water Level ◽  
Nutrient Limitation ◽  
Water Depth ◽  
Nitrogen Limitation ◽  
Water Levels ◽  
Water Level Fluctuations ◽  
Depth Range ◽  
Dry Conditions ◽  
Second Year ◽  
Water Depths

Nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizers were added over two growing seasons to marshes dominated by whitetop grass (Scolochloa festucacea) or cattail (Typha glauca) in a prairie lacustrine marsh to assess nutrient limitation and the interaction of nutrient limitation with water depth. For each species, stands were selected at the deep and shallow extremes of its water depth range. Water levels were high during the first year of fertilization and low during the second year, exposing the fertilized stands to a variety of water depths. Nitrogen limited growth in whitetop and cattail marshes. Water level, by controlling whether the soil was flooded or the water table was below the soil surface, affected growth and the degree of nitrogen limitation. In whitetop marshes, nitrogen increased biomass more when the soil was flooded or when standing water was deeper and in cattail marshes, it increased biomass more under intermediate water depths (approximately 0–20 cm) than under more deeply flooded (20–40 cm) or dry conditions. Nitrogen reduced biomass in whitetop marshes the second year, apparently because growth was inhibited by fallen litter from the previous year. Nitrogen did not limit cattail marsh biomass in the driest locations during a year of low water levels. Phosphorus caused a small increase in growth of both species after 2 years. Changes of nitrogen limitation with flooding suggest that annual water level fluctuations, by creating alternating flooded and dry conditions, may influence the primary production of emergent macrophytes through effects on nitrogen cycling.

scholarly journals Waterbird Foraging Habitat Selection in Balikpapan Bay: Water Depth and Patch Area as Important Factors

2021 ◽  
Vol 28 (4) ◽  
pp. 312-324
Author(s):  
Alexander Kurniawan Sariyanto Putera ◽  
Dyah Perwitasari-Farajallah ◽  
Yeni Aryati Mulyani ◽  
Stanislav Lhota ◽  
Riki Herliansyah ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Habitat Selection ◽  
Water Depth ◽  
Intrinsic Factor ◽  
Mathematic Model ◽  
Quality Parameters ◽  
Easy Access ◽  
Foraging Habitat ◽  
Patch Area ◽  
Depth Level ◽  
Generalized Linear Modelling

Balikpapan Bay is one of the wetlands providing potential foraging habitat for waterbirds in Indonesia. Potential habitat loss due to oil industry expansion, recent waterbird occurrence, and co-occurrence of two closely related species with similar foraging characteristics led to habitat selection. Habitat selection could be affected by food as an intrinsic factor and extrinsic factor, for example, accessibility to the physical and biological components of the habitat. This study aimed to measure the foraging habitat selection, identify significant habitat quality parameters for the habitat selection and predict the foraging habitat selection model. We used one-zero sampling for collecting foraging habitat selection data, corer sampling for prey data, and collecting the abiotic environment, and Generalized Linear Modelling (GLM) to build the model. We identified four species as the migrant Little Egret (Egretta garzetta), Great Egret (Ardea alba), Purple Heron (Ardea purpurea), and Lesser Adjutant (Leptoptilos javanicus). All species, except Purple Heron, selected foraging habitats. A simple mathematic model of foraging habitat selection was significantly affected by two factors: water depth and patch area. A large patch area may provide primary prey abundance for waterbirds, while a low water depth level may give easy access to the prey.

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