Changes in Vegetation Cover Explain Shifts of Colony Sites by Little Terns (<i>Sternula albifrons</i>) in Coastal Portugal

Lopes, Catarina S.; Ramos, Jaime A.; Paiva, Vítor H.

doi:10.1675/063.038.0306

Cited by 5 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 26 publications

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“…Prey density alone is unlikely to account for all the variation in bird density [54]—for example, GSE had the highest average shorebird density, but not the highest average prey density. Other variables, such as vegetation cover [55] and prey availability, which are associated with water depth [56], should be incorporated into future studies. Determination of the dynamic interaction between shorebirds and the density of benthic macroinvertebrates (e.g., sites with more abundant macroinvertebrates would attract more shorebirds, which, in turn, could suppress the abundance of macroinvertebrates) would give a better insight into the ecological communities and help in the conservation of the wetland ecosystem.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Numerical Response of Migratory Shorebirds to Prey Distribution in a Large Temperate Arid Wetland, China

et al. 2016

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Wuliangsuhai Lake provides important breeding and stopover habitats for shorebirds. The health of this wetland ecosystem is rapidly deteriorating due to eutrophication and water pollution and environmental management is urgently needed. To explore the connections among ecosystem health, prey density, and shorebird populations, we conducted surveys of both the benthic macroinvertebrates and shorebirds in the shorebird habitat of the wetland during the 2011 autumn migration season. The abundance of both shorebirds and benthic macroinvertebrates varied significantly in both space and time. Our data showed a clear association between shorebird populations and the density of benthic macroinvertebrates, which explained 53.63% of the variation in shorebird abundance. The prey density was strongly affected by environmental factors, including water and sediment quality. Chironomidae were mainly found at sites with higher total phosphorus, but with lower sediment concentrations of Cu. Lymnaeidae were mainly found at sites with a higher pH, lower salinity, and lower concentrations of total phosphorus and Cu. Habitats with very high concentrations of total phosphorus, heavy metals, or salinity were not suitable for benthic macroinvertebrates. Our findings suggest that the reductions of nutrient and heavy metal loadings are crucial in maintaining the ecological function of Wuliangsuhai as a stopover habitat for migratory shorebirds.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Numerical Response of Migratory Shorebirds to Prey Distribution in a Large Temperate Arid Wetland, China

et al. 2016

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“…Locally, Little Terns are mainly found breeding on beaches and coastal salinas but are known to occupy a wider spectrum of habitats like salt marshes, dams and riverine habitats (Cramp, 1985;Huang, 2015). Vegetation cover may play a key role in habitat selection and may vary according to habitats for both Little Tern (Goutner, 1990;Ratcliffe et al, 2008;Lopes et al, 2015) and Common Tern (Blokpoel et al, 1978;Yésou et al, 2005) and this preference may explain the "fugitive strategy" adopted by the former species in its nomadic search for optimal breeding conditions (Lopes et al, 2015). On the Po River, Italy, the extent of bare sands was shown to determine the breeding frequency of both Little Tern and Common Tern (Fasola & Bogliani, 1984).…”

Section: Habitat and Nest Site Selectionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Distribution and breeding of the slender-billed gull Chroicocephalus genei, common tern Sterna hirundo and little tern Sternula albifrons in Algeria

Baaloudj¹,

Bouzid²,

Nedjah³

et al. 2018

revec

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Distribution et nidification du Goéland railleur Chroicocephalus genei, de la Sterne pierregarin Sterna hirundo et de la Sterne naine Sternula albifrons en Algérie.-La connaissance de l'écologie de la reproduction des sternes, mouettes et goélands au Maghreb présente de sérieuses lacunes. Dans cet article, nous présentons des données sur la répartition et l'écologie de la reproduction de trois espèces, le Goéland railleur Chroicocephalus genei, la Sterne naine Sternula albifrons et la Sterne pierregarin Sterna hirundo, en Algérie. Pour le Goéland railleur, la plus ancienne colonie connue et de nouveaux sites de reproduction à travers le pays sont documentés. À l'inverse de cette répartition étendue, la Sterne naine et la Sterne pierregarin sont confinées chacune à un seul site de reproduction. Des réflexions sur la sélection des sites de reproduction, la compétition interspécifique et les paramètres de reproduction sont présentées alors que les facteurs affectant négativement la reproduction sont discutés.

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“…Such short-term perturbations may be attributed to various food availability (Tryjanowski et al 2009;Karell et al 2009), the avoidance of nest predation (Szymkowiak and Kuczyński 2015), annual changes in the availability of ephemeral habitats (Tucker et al 2004), rapid habitat loss (Zuckerberg and Vickery 2006), diseases or extreme weather conditions in breeding areas, migration routes and wintering grounds (Conrey et al 2016;Becker and Finck 1985;Robinson et al 2007). Ground-nesting species are particularly sensitive to fluctuations in water levels and vegetation structure and respond to these changes by shifting between breeding sites in optimal and sub-optimal years, leading to annual fluctuations in abundance (Sharps et al 2017;Shuford 2016;Lopes et al 2015). However, local population changes may also come from a very specific, nomadic breeding strategy.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Seasonal changes in distribution and abundance of a local Corncrake population

et al. 2020

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Many bird species have experienced short- or long-term population declines. However, the mechanisms and reasons underlying such negative changes are often not fully understood, making it difficult to identify effective conservation measures to recover populations. In this study, we focused on local changes in the abundance and distribution of calling male Corncrakes Crex crex in relation to: (1) within- and between-season site fidelity of adult males, (2) spatial distribution of territories in consecutive years and (3) the effect of habitat conditions on population size. We counted the number of calling males at ten randomly selected study plots (1 km2) in 2014–2018. Additionally, males were caught and individually marked in years 2015–2017. We found significant between-year changes in Corncrake abundance, from a 34% decrease to a 21% increase. On average, 32% of males established territories in the same locations as males recorded in the previous year. Breeding site fidelity was very low, with only 2–5% of males recaptured in the following year. Males selected areas characterized by higher values of NDVI (Normalized Difference Vegetation Index–higher values indicate more biomass) than on average within the study area. Population size in a particular year was significantly affected by the NDVI of the previous year but not by the NDVI in the current breeding season. We suppose that Corncrakes may exhibit a nomadic breeding behavior, and settle at territories when they encounter optimal habitat conditions. Moreover, as population size was negatively correlated with habitat conditions at the beginning of the previous breeding season, we suppose that local population changes may reflect more general trends in a whole population rather than local breeding success. Therefore, we highlight the need for better knowledge of Corncrake dispersal within the main European population and for the coordination of monitoring and conservation efforts, especially in those regions where most Corncrakes breed.

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Changes in Vegetation Cover Explain Shifts of Colony Sites by Little Terns (Sternula albifrons) in Coastal Portugal

Cited by 5 publications

References 26 publications

Numerical Response of Migratory Shorebirds to Prey Distribution in a Large Temperate Arid Wetland, China

Numerical Response of Migratory Shorebirds to Prey Distribution in a Large Temperate Arid Wetland, China

Distribution and breeding of the slender-billed gull Chroicocephalus genei, common tern Sterna hirundo and little tern Sternula albifrons in Algeria

Seasonal changes in distribution and abundance of a local Corncrake population

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