The role of temporary ponds as foraging sites for glossy ibis ( Plegadis falcinellus ) during the non-breeding season in
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ORIGINAL ARTICLE
The role of temporary ponds as foraging sites for glossy ibis (Plegadis falcinellus) during the non-breeding season in Numidia, Northeast Algeria Yacine Rouibi 1,2 & Riad Nedjah 1,2 & Laïd Touati 1,3 & Abdennour Boucheker 1,4 & Farrah Samraoui 1,2 & Boudjéma Samraoui 1,5 Received: 13 May 2020 / Accepted: 5 October 2020 # Institute of Zoology, Slovak Academy of Sciences 2020
Abstract Aquatic macroinvertebrates are a major link in food webs in temporary ponds and useful indicators of wetlands’ecological integrity. We investigated the available trophic resources and the physicochemical quality of 14 wetlands frequented by glossy ibis (Plegadis falcinellus), a resident species with an increasing population in Numidia, northeast Algeria. Sampling of temporary ponds was carried out in winter and early spring, prior to the Glossy Ibis’ breeding period. Analyses indicated that the studied waterbodies contained a rich and diversified aquatic community, dominated mainly by insects and molluscs and characterized by a spatio-temporal change in composition and abundance, reflecting a spatial heterogeneity and a temporal niche partitioning of various members of the aquatic community. Furthermore, the density of Glossy Ibis in foraging areas changed seasonally and declined significantly with the distance to the nearest roost. In the context of climate change and human encroachment, the close dependence of Glossy Ibis and other waders on a matrix of secure roosts and temporary ponds during the nonbreeding season puts them in jeopardy unless these imperilled but generally unprotected habitats are actively managed. Keywords Glossy ibis . Biodiversity . Aquatic macroinvertebrates . Trophic resources . Wetlands . Numidia . Algeria
Introduction Wintering is an important phase in the life history of birds that face various selective constraints during this period (adverse weather conditions, migration, competition, etc.) (SanzAguilar et al. 2012). It is also a crucial phase that precedes and determines the success or failure of the breeding season (Tamisier and Dehorter 1999). For example, the breeding success of the purple heron, Ardea purpurea (Linnaeus, 1766),
* Boudjéma Samraoui [email protected] 1
Laboratoire de Conservation des Zones Humides (L.C.Z.H), Université 8 Mai 1945 Guelma, BP 401, 24000 Guelma, Algeria
2
Département d’Ecologie et Génie de l’Environnement (E.G.E), Université 8 Mai 1945 Guelma, BP 401, 24000 Guelma, Algeria
3
Université Constantine 1, Constantine, Algeria
4
Université Chadli Bendjedid El Tarf, El Tarf, Algeria
5
Department of Biology, University Badji Mokhtar Annaba, Annaba, Algeria
population in Western Europe is closely linked to conditions in their wintering areas in the Sahel (Barbraud and Hafner 2001). The glossy ibis, Plegadis falcinellus Linnaeus, 1766, is a cosmopolitan species which declined precipitously in the Mediterranean region in the second half of the twentieth century (del Hoyo et al. 1992; Hancock et al. 1992). In Algeria, the glossy ibis was considered a re
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