Effects of tidal cycles on shorebird distribution and foraging behaviour in a coastal tropical wetland: Insights for carrying capacity assessment

Fonseca, Juanita; Basso, Enzo; Serrano, David; Navedo, Juan G.

doi:10.1016/j.ecss.2017.09.016

Cited by 29 publications

(33 citation statements)

References 52 publications

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“…Western Sandpiper and Pacific Dunlin abundances were negatively correlated with tidal amplitude, consistent with previous studies linking shorebird abundance with tidal amplitude (Fonseca et al, 2017;Granadeiro et al, 2006;Nehls & Tiedemann, 1993), and indicating that fewer birds were observed during spring tides (wide tidal amplitude). Tides in this system are semi-diurnal (Thomson, 1981), and tidal amplitude is negatively correlated with the daily number of hours that the productive upper intertidal ).…”

Section: Tidal Amplitudesupporting

confidence: 90%

Sandpipers go with the flow: Correlations between estuarine conditions and shorebird abundance at an important stopover on the Pacific Flyway

Canham

Flemming

Hope

et al. 2021

Ecology and Evolution

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Section: Tidal Amplitudesupporting

confidence: 90%

Sandpipers go with the flow: Correlations between estuarine conditions and shorebird abundance at an important stopover on the Pacific Flyway

Canham

Flemming

Hope

et al. 2021

Ecology and Evolution

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“…This similar shorebird density contrasts with the pattern observed in the Estero de Urías, a smaller coastal wetland located south of BSM, where shorebird numbers over the entire wetland decreased sharply after the shrimp farm was harvested (Navedo et al 2015a). A possible explanation is that anthropogenic habitats can offer significant additional trophic resources for non-breeding shorebird populations where intertidal foraging areas are restricted (Basso et al 2018), thus temporally increasing current carrying capacity at small coastal wetlands such as Estero de Urías (Fonseca et al 2017). By contrast, at large bays such as BSM, most individuals use the natural intertidal areas as foraging grounds, but some fraction of the population of Nearctic shorebirds may shift to a different habitat/resource when it becomes available during the non-breeding season.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Use of semi-intensive shrimp farms as alternative foraging areas by migratory shorebird populations in tropical areas

Navedo

Fernández

2018

Bird Conservation International

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SummaryEvaluating the ability of anthropogenic habitats to serve as surrogates for natural habitats is an increasingly relevant issue in conservation biology. This issue is especially urgent in tropical coastal wetlands that support large concentrations of migratory shorebird populations and are under pressure from development. Here we evaluated the species composition, abundance, and habitat use of Nearctic migratory shorebirds using recently harvested aquaculture ponds during two non-breeding seasons at shrimp farms surrounding Bahía Santa María (BSM), northwestern Mexico. We also estimated shorebird densities at intertidal units in BSM during and after the harvesting season to explore the connectivity with shrimp farms. Over 25,000 individuals of 25 shorebird species used the surveyed farms (∼13% of shrimp-farm development in BSM; 2014–2015: 10 farms, 994 ha; 2015–2016: 8 farms, 924 ha) during the harvest season. The most abundant species were: Western Sandpiper Calidris mauri, Willet Tringa semipalmata, Marbled Godwit Limosa fedoa, dowitchers Limnodromus spp., Black-necked Stilt Himantopus mexicanus and American Avocet Recurvirostra americana. Numbers of birds decreased as the harvest cycle progressed. Most birds (> 70%) were foraging on the ponds, regardless of tidal stage, while numbers increased during high tide for the most abundant species. At surveyed intertidal areas, shorebird densities were overall similar within and between non-breeding seasons. These results indicate that shrimp farms offer ephemeral but consistent foraging habitats used by non-breeding shorebirds, even in vast coastal wetlands offering a high availability of natural intertidal mudflats. Assuming a similar shorebird use in other shrimp ponds not surveyed within BSM, a significant proportion (> 1% of the biogeographic population) of Willet, Marbled Godwit, and Western Sandpiper, as well as imperilled Red Knot Calidris canutus, might use shrimp farms throughout the harvesting season. Before including current semi-intensive shrimp farms within management plans of BSM, further research is mandatory to assess their utility as alternative foraging habitats for shorebird conservation at tropical areas.

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“…To determine the probability of dog harassment of shorebirds, we used the whimbrel as a model species. The whimbrel is a good model for this purpose because it is territorial in nonbreeding grounds [ 42 ], it is one of the most frequent shorebirds in the study area [ 38 ], and there is evidence that similar species are sensitive to disturbance caused by dogs and people (e.g., the Hudsonian godwit, Limosa haemastica [ 18 ]). During sampling, we recorded all whimbrels detected in the segments and if dogs were present there.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Widespread Presence of Domestic Dogs on Sandy Beaches of Southern Chile

Cortés

Navedo

Silva‐Rodríguez

2021

Animals

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Dogs on sandy beaches are a threat to shorebirds. Managing this problem requires understanding the factors that influence the abundance of dogs in these ecosystems. We aimed to determine the proportion of beaches used by dogs and the effects of human presence on dog abundance on sandy beaches of southern Chile. We conducted dog counts and recorded the presence of tracks on 14 beaches. We used zero-inflated generalized linear mixed models to determine if the number of people, number of households, and other covariates were associated with dog abundance. We detected dog tracks on all the beaches, and dog sightings on most of them. Dogs were frequently not supervised (45%) and only 13% of them were leashed. The number of people on the beach and the number of houses near the beach were positively associated with the number of dogs on beaches. Finally, when dogs co-occurred with whimbrels (Numenius phaeopus), the probability of dog harassment was high (59%). Our work reveals that human presence determines the abundance of dogs on sandy beaches. Therefore, our study suggests that any strategy aiming at reducing dog harassment of shorebirds requires changes in those human behaviors that favor the presence of free-ranging dogs at beaches.

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Effects of tidal cycles on shorebird distribution and foraging behaviour in a coastal tropical wetland: Insights for carrying capacity assessment

Cited by 29 publications

References 52 publications

Sandpipers go with the flow: Correlations between estuarine conditions and shorebird abundance at an important stopover on the Pacific Flyway

Sandpipers go with the flow: Correlations between estuarine conditions and shorebird abundance at an important stopover on the Pacific Flyway

Use of semi-intensive shrimp farms as alternative foraging areas by migratory shorebird populations in tropical areas

Widespread Presence of Domestic Dogs on Sandy Beaches of Southern Chile

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