Nesting Habitat Requirements of the Brown Pelican and Their Management Implications

Visser, Jenneke M.; Vermillion, William G.; Evers, D. Elaine; Linscombe, R. G.; Sasser, Charles E.

doi:10.2112/04-0176.1

Cited by 18 publications

(16 citation statements)

References 25 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…The northern Gulf coast, especially Louisiana, is losing land at a rapid rate due to complex interactions among subsidence, sea level rise, tropical and other storms, inadequate water supply, and human disturbance (Visser et al 2005;Valiela et al 2009). The habitats along the Gulf coast are a shifting mosaic of changing elevation and salinity gradients that result in changes in vegetation species and patterns that affect nesting.…”

Section: Land-water Interfacementioning

confidence: 99%

“…For many species, nest site requirements drive their choice of colony site, and they will continue to nest there if the sites remain stable. In some cases, long-term stability is enhanced by habitat modification, as happened on Queen Bess Island for pelicans (Visser et al 2005). In other cases, stability is reduced by erosion and loss of space.…”

Section: Mobility and Habitat Suitabilitymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Colony site selection in pelicans depends upon the availability of nest sites that are free from predators and human disturbance, and are reasonably close to food. Colonies in Louisiana averaged 13 km from the mainland (Visser et al 2005). Brown Pelicans are monogamous, mate for life, lay up to five eggs, and the young are fed predigested fish that parents deposit on the nest.…”

Section: Brown Pelicanmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Lindstedt (2005) reported the number of successful nests at Queen Bess and Last Islands after 1993 (Visser and Peterson 1994), and showed a small decline in the mid-1990s (Figure 12.13). Pelicans in Louisiana increased in these colonies from about 2,000 nests in 1990 to stabilize around 15,000 nests in 2003 (Holm et al 2003;Visser et al 2005). Pelican colonies in Louisiana are located far from the mainland and human activity, and colonies such as Queen Bess Island have required the addition of land to provide sufficient habitat (Visser et al 2005).…”

Section: Brown Pelicanmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Pelicans are faced with severe habitat loss that might threaten their populations once again, particularly in Louisiana due to loss of available nesting sites (Visser et al 2005). Robinson and Dindo (2011) comment that the future of Brown Pelican populations in the Gulf is unclear because of the ephemeral nature of spoil islands and natural coastal areas, as well as natural disasters, and manmade ones.…”

Section: Brown Pelicanmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 4 more Smart Citations

Avian Resources of the Northern Gulf of Mexico

Burger¹

2017

Habitats and Biota of the Gulf of Mexico: Before the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Section: Land-water Interfacementioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Mobility and Habitat Suitabilitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Brown Pelicanmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Brown Pelicanmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Brown Pelicanmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

Avian Resources of the Northern Gulf of Mexico

Burger¹

2017

Habitats and Biota of the Gulf of Mexico: Before the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Refinement of the fundamental niche of black mangrove (Avicennia germinans) seedlings in Louisiana: Applications for restoration

Alleman

Hester

2010

Wetlands Ecol Manage

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Black mangrove (Avicennia germinans) occurs at the northern boundary of its North American range in the coastal salt marshes and barrier islands of Louisiana. This species provides important habitat and sustainability to Louisiana's coastal salt marshes via its woody structure and extensive root system. Refinement of the physiological tolerances of A. germinans seedlings to salinity, sand burial and hydrologic regime provides valuable insight into the fundamental niche of A. germinans and thereby the potential for increased restoration success in coastal and back-barrier salt marshes. We subjected two age classes of A. germinans seedlings used in restoration (young seedlings of 6 or 12 months of age, and older seedlings of either 18 or 24 months of age) to abiotic stressors frequently encountered at coastal restoration sites: (1) elevated salinity levels, from 0 to 96 ppt, (2) sediment burial, from 0 to ?20 cm, and (3) varying water levels, ranging from 0 cm to -60 cm. A. germinans seedlings displayed a non-linear response to each environmental factor, with greatest biomass occurring between low and moderate levels of stress or disturbance (i.e., between 24 and 48 ppt salinity, 0 to ?10 cm burial, and -15 to -30 cm water level). The two age classes displayed similar physiological tolerances; however, older seedlings may confer an advantage due to greater total biomass and reserves, most notably in response to burial. We suggest that this refinement of the fundamental niche be utilized as a guideline for improved restoration success in micro-tidal environments within black mangrove's range.

show abstract