Coastal Marsh Bird Habitat Selection and Responses to Hurricane Sandy
- PDF / 2,733,056 Bytes
- 12 Pages / 595.276 x 790.866 pts Page_size
- 4 Downloads / 194 Views
WETLANDS AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Coastal Marsh Bird Habitat Selection and Responses to Hurricane Sandy Allison M. Benscoter 1
&
James M. Beerens 1 & Stephanie S. Romañach 1
Received: 20 June 2019 / Accepted: 20 September 2019 # US Government 2019
Abstract Wetlands provide numerous ecosystem functions such as water purification, nutrient cycling, and wildlife habitat. Avian populations are indicators of wetland health, and understanding their responses to extreme events can aid in targeting restoration efforts following disturbance. Here, we assessed the habitat selection of six coastal wetland bird species (American Bittern, Black-crowned Night Heron, Great Egret, Glossy Ibis, Snowy Egret, Yellow-crowned Night Heron) related to an extreme weather event, Hurricane Sandy. We used Discrete Choice Resource Selection Functions to estimate habitat selection. Results showed species probability of use increased with lower elevation and slope, and closer proximity to marsh, salt marsh, Phragmites, and protected areas. Estimates of marsh dieback from Hurricane Sandy occurred disproportionately in areas with higher probability of species use. Species were observed farther from the coast and at higher elevations in the four breeding seasons after (2013–2016) compared to before (2000–2012) Hurricane Sandy. Our results indicate that although high suitability areas were affected by the storm, these six wetland bird species may have responded by moving inland and to higher elevation. Understanding how coastal wetland birds respond to storm events is important for conservation planning, particularly as storm frequency is projected to increase in the future. Keywords Avian ecology . Coastal wetland bird . Resource selection . Habitat suitability . Hurricane Sandy
Introduction Understanding the effects of hurricanes on wildlife and their habitats is critical to protecting and restoring important coastal wetland ecosystems and retaining the valuable ecosystem services they provide. Coastal wetlands, and the species that rely on them, are threatened by climate change (Donnelly and Bertness 2001; Hughes 2004; Erwin et al. 2006; Day et al. 2008; Bayard and Elphick 2011), in addition to other factors such as human modification through marsh ditching and infrastructure (Correll et al. 2017). Wetland area in coastal watersheds has already experienced drastic declines in the eastern U.S., and these declines will likely continue in the face of Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (https://doi.org/10.1007/s13157-019-01230-2) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users. * Allison M. Benscoter [email protected] 1
U.S. Geological Survey, Wetland and Aquatic Research Center, 3321 College Avenue, Fort Lauderdale, Florida 33314, USA
global climate change and extreme weather (Stedman and Dahl 2008; Finlayson et al. 2019). The intensity, and potentially frequency, of tropical storms is expected to increase with a changing global climate (Michener et al. 1997; Emanuel 2005; Webster et al.
Data Loading...
