Spatiotemporal Assessment of Littoral Waterbirds for Establishing Ecological Indicators of Mediterranean Coastal Lagoons

Farinós-Celdrán, Pablo; Robledano-Aymerich, Francisco; Carreño, Francisca Pérez; Martínez‐López, Javier

doi:10.3390/ijgi6080256

Cited by 6 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 54 publications

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“…Thus, the ecosystem complexity could provide more refuges for a variety of piscivorous birds (e.g. Ardeidae species, such as grey heron Ardea cinera , cattle egret Bubulcus ibis or little egret Egretta garzetta ; see Farinós‐Celdrán et al, 2017) in the Littoral habitat, which are not directly affected by poor water quality from eutrophication, and with many of them being definitive hosts for fish parasites. Thus, the associated increase in host variety, apart from fishes, would contribute to a higher parasite diversity and complexity of life‐cycles.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The Barrier habitat is more homogeneous, with large expanses of sandy soils and typical coastal vegetation of grasses and bushes (e.g. Asparagus macrorrhizus , Calystegia soldanella , Pancratium maritimum or Salicornia europaea ; see Azuara et al, 2020) adapted to those harsh conditions (salt‐tolerant and xerophytic plants), which are not suitable to sustain populations of larger bird species (Farinós‐Celdrán et al, 2017). With respect to fishes, the patchy distribution of seagrass species (e.g.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Fish morphological and parasitological traits as ecological indicators of habitat quality in a Mediterranean coastal lagoon

Almeida,

Cruz,

Llinares

et al. 2023

Aquatic Conservation

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Coastal lagoons are key ‘transitional’ aquatic environments for biodiversity conservation. Ecological indicators are useful tools for the management of water resources in the European Union. Among different biological communities, fish are a very sensitive tool to assess environmental integrity. Indeed, their parasites can be used as complementary indicators of habitat quality. Yet there is still a deep lack of information on ecological assessment using fish (along with their parasites) for coastal lagoons, particularly for the Iberian Peninsula. The aim of the present study was to assess the use of fish morphology and their parasite communities as ecological indicators of anthropogenic impact within the Mar Menor coastal lagoon (SE Spain), a Mediterranean area of special conservation concern for European/Iberian biodiversity. Fish samples (black‐striped pipefish Syngnathus abaster and marbled goby Pomatoschistus marmoratus) were collected in August 2022 from the Littoral (high level of nutrient enrichment) and Barrier habitats. Physical status (both external and internal indices), asymmetry (level of developmental instability), parasite load, diversity and life‐cycle complexity were compared between habitat types. Body condition and mainly the health assessment index were better in the Barrier habitat. Except for pectoral fins in pipefish, the fluctuating asymmetry was statistically greater in the Littoral habitat (i.e. with eutrophication leading to poorer fish development). The parasite load was higher in the Littoral habitat for both host fish species. However, the diversity and life‐cycle complexity of parasite communities were statistically lower in the Barrier habitat (a structurally simpler environment) only for gobies. This study demonstrates an elevated potential for certain fish morphological and parasitological traits to be considered as good ecological indicators of environmental health. This could help environmental managers and policy makers to design effective monitoring programmes to detect impacts within valuable areas for conservation, such as the Mar Menor coastal lagoon.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fish morphological and parasitological traits as ecological indicators of habitat quality in a Mediterranean coastal lagoon

Almeida,

Cruz,

Llinares

et al. 2023

Aquatic Conservation

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“…Ecosystem functions performed by wetland‐dependent birds include bioturbation, dispersal of native and non‐native species, predation, and pest control (Green & Elmberg, 2014). This makes them key agents in maintaining the functioning of wetland ecosystems and, thus, useful indicators of changing environmental conditions (Everard & Noble, 2010; Farinós‐Celdrán et al, 2017; Mistry et al, 2008).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Landscape‐wide pulse events predict trait‐based responses among wetland birds in perennial channels of a dryland wetland

Becker,

Boyes,

Wittmer

et al. 2023

Ecological Applications

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Wetlands in arid or semi‐arid zones are vital for maintaining biodiversity but face growing threats. Flooding regime variability is a key driver of ecological dynamism in these systems, dictating primary productivity on a large spatial scale. Functional composition or diversity of wetland‐dependent bird species has been found to be sensitive to fluctuations in hydrological regimes and can thus be indicative of cascading ecosystem responses associated with climate change. In this paper we investigate whether large‐scale changes in inundation and fire – a significant additional biodiversity determinant in (semi‐)arid landscapes – were reliable predictors of functional group responses of wetland‐dependent birds along a perennial channel of the Okavango Delta, Botswana. We fit generalized additive models (GAM) to six years of bird survey data collected along ~190‐km‐long annual transects and use remotely sensed landscape‐level inundation estimates, as well as spatio‐temporal distance to fire, to predict responsiveness of seven trait‐based functional group abundances. During the surveys a total of 89 different wetland‐dependent bird species were recorded, including 76 residents, across all years, with below‐surface feeding waders consistently the most abundant functional group. Including estimated spatio‐temporal variability in flooding and fire, as well as their interactions, improved model fit for all seven functional groups, explaining between 46.8% and 68.3% of variability in functional group abundances. Covariates representing longer‐term variability in inundation generally performed better than shorter‐term ones. For example, variability in inundation over the 5 months preceding a survey best predicted the responses of all functional groups, which also all exhibited responsiveness to the interaction between flooding and fire. We were able to interpret the responses of individual functional groups, based on the resource exploitation assumption. Overall, our results suggest that perennial waters in dryland wetlands offer functional refugia to wetland‐dependent birds and highlight the indicative power of large‐scale trait‐based bird monitoring. Our findings demonstrate the potential utility of such a monitoring regime for dryland wetland ecosystems vulnerable to industrial‐scale anthropogenic pressure and associated climate change.ABSTRACT (Setswana)Morethetho wa go tshela ga metsi a makgobokgobo a a fitlhelwang mo nageng tsa komelelo, o rotloetsa mekgwa e dinonyane tse di fitlhelwang mo meeleng e e sa kgaleng ya makgobokgobo, di tsibogelang diemo ka teng.Makgobokgobo a a fitlhelwang mo dikgaolong tsa komelelo a botlhokwa mo go tshegetseng mefutafuta ya ditshidi, mme a lebaganywe ke matshosetsi. Go farologana ga ka fa metsi a makgobokgobo a tshelang ka teng, ke ntlha ya konokono e e tlhotlheletsang diphetogo mo nageng tse, ebile e laola ka fa dimela di dirang ka teng mo nageng eo ka bophara. Mefutafuta ya dinonyane tse di ikaegileng ka makgobokgobo e fitlhetswe e amiwa thata ke diemo tsa metsi tse di fetogafetogang, ka jalo mefuta e, e ka nna kaedi ya mekgwa e botshelo bo fetogang ka teng, segolobogolo fa re lebile phetogo e e sa tlwaelesegang ya loapi (Climate change). Mo mokwalong o, re sekaseka gore a diphetogo tsa maphashaphasha a metsi le melelo ya naga‐ nngwe ya dintlha tsa botlhokwa tse di rotloetsang mefutafuta ya ditshidi mo dinageng tsa komelelo ‐ ele bokao jo bo netlameng go ka supa ka fa mefuta ya dinoyane tse di ikaegileng ka makgobokgobo di tsibogelang diemo ka teng mo moeleng wa makgobokgobo a Okavango, mo Botswana. Go re thusa ka ditshekatsheko tse, re dirisitse boranyane jwa ditlhaka (Generalized Additive Models) go rarabolola patlisitso e e dirilweng mo dingwageng tse thataro ka dinonyane tse di bonweng mo tseleng ya sekgele sa boleele ja 190 km. Tsela e ya tshekatsheko e ne e tsamaiwa gangwefela mo ngwageng. Re ne gape ra dirisa maranyane a lefaufau (Remote sensing) go akanyetsa bophara jwa maphashaphasha a Okavango le go meta sekgele le sebaka sa molelo wa naga. Metlhale e ya tshekatsheko, e ne ya dirisiwa go akanyetsa pele phetogo ya dipalo tsa mefuta e supa ya dinonyane tsa makgokgobobo. Dipatlisiso di supile fa mo dingwageng tse thataro go gatisitswe mefuta e e farologanyeng ya dinonyane tse di ikaegileng ka makgobokgobo di le masome a a ferang bobedi le borobabongwe (89), go akarediwa tsa sennela ruri di le masome a supa le borataro (76). Go supegile gape fa mofuta wa dinonyane tse di jang dijo ko tlase ga metsi e le tsone di palo ntsi. Tharabololo ya maranyane a dipalo (model fit) e kgonne go tlhalosa gore fa gare ga masome mane le borataro le ntlha tse robabobedi mo lekgolong (46.8%) le masome marataro le boferabobedi le ntlha tse tharo mo lekgolong (68.3%) ya diphetogo tse di bonweng tsa mefuta ya dinonyane e bakilwe ke diphetogo tse di farologanyeng tsa go tshela ga metsi a makgobokgobo le molelo wa naga le ka fa dintlha tse di amanang ka teng. Mabaka a a rotloetsang diphetogo tsa maphashaphasha a metsi ka lebaka lo leleele, ka kakaretso a supegile a dira botoka go supa tsibogo ya dinonyane gona le a lebaka le le khutshwane. Sekai, diphetogo tsa selekanyo sa maphashaphasha a metsi mo kgweding tse tlhano (5 months) pele ga dipatlisiso di akanyeditse‐pele botoka ka fa ditlhopha tsotlhe tsa dinoyana di tsibogelang diemo ka teng. E supile tsibogelo diemo ya dinonyane e e bakiwang ke kamano magareng ga go tshela ga metsi le melelo wa naga. Re ne ra kgona go tlhalosa ka fa ditlhopha tsa dinonyane ka bongwe ja tsone di tsibogelang diemo ka teng, re dirisa kakanyetsong ya mekgwa ya tiriso ya ditsa tlholego. Ka kakaretso, maduo a rona a kaya fa metsi a sennela ruri a a bonwang mo makgobokgobong a naga ya komelelo, a a fa dinonyane tse di ikaegileng ka makgobokgobo lefelo la botshabelo, gape a senotse nonofo ya ditshekatsheko tsa peoleitho tse di dirwang ka dinonyane ka lebaka le selekanyo se segolo ebile se tseneletse. Maduo a rona a supile botlhokwa jwa tiriso ya ditlhotlhomiso tsa mofuta o mo makgobokgobong a a bonwang mo nageng tsa komelelo ebile a le mo diphatseng tsa kgotlelesego go tswa mo ditlhabololong le tse di amanang le phetogo e e sa tlwaelesegang ya loapi.

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“…Therefore, numerous studies on habitat use, selection and community organization have been conducted worldwide (e.g. Jones 2001;Hamza et al 2016;Elafri et al 2017;Farinós-Celdrán et al 2017;Chatterjee et al 2020). Liordos (2010) described the structure of the waterbird assemblage at Vourkari during winter, by assigning species to foraging guilds.…”

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confidence: 99%

Identifying important habitats for waterbird conservation at a Greek Regional Nature Park

Liordos

Kontsiotis

2020

Avian Res

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Background Small coastal wetlands are vital sites for wintering waterbirds. Identifying important habitats is critical for managing waterbirds effectively. The Vourkari inlet is a small coastal wetland located near the capital Athens, within the most urbanized and industrialized area of Greece. We aimed at identifying the most important habitats for waterbirds at the Vourkari inlet during winter. Methods Data about habitat use and availability were collected for 14 waterbird species and for seven habitat classes. Habitat selection (Manly’s selection ratio), overlap indices (Pianka’s niche overlap index) and null models were calculated. Results All the studied waterbird species selected available habitats nonrandomly. Shallow waters (0–2 m), were used by 13 waterbirds and selected by five waterbirds. Pools and channels were used and selected by 10 species. Mud was used by nine species and selected by six species. Mud with rocky substrate was used by nine species and selected by eight species. Medium (2–4 m) and deep (4–6 m) open water habitats were used by seven species and selected by four species. Halophytic vegetation was used by six species and selected by two species. Several habitats were selected by nationally important populations: mudflat habitats (i.e., mud, mud with rocky substrate and pools and channels) by Common Redshanks (Tringa totanus), halophytic vegetation by Little Egrets (Egretta garzetta), shallow waters by Common Shelducks (Tadorna tadorna) and medium and deep waters by Sandwich Terns (Thalasseus sandvicencis), whilst shallow waters and mudflat habitats were preferred by a possibly internationally important population of Mediterranean Gulls (Ichthyaetus melanocephalus). Although overlap in habitat use between species was generally low, null models indicated habitat sharing and a lack of competition. Conclusions Waterbirds coexisted in the absence of competition for habitats at Vourkari, where they mostly used and preferred shallow water and mudflats. Small coastal wetlands are numerous, both in Greece and worldwide, therefore our findings would be useful as a basis for comparisons, both temporal at the inlet and spatial with other sites, that would help assess the importance of habitats and improve management strategies to benefit waterbirds, especially in areas with similar Mediterranean-type habitats and climate.

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Spatiotemporal Assessment of Littoral Waterbirds for Establishing Ecological Indicators of Mediterranean Coastal Lagoons

Cited by 6 publications

References 54 publications

Fish morphological and parasitological traits as ecological indicators of habitat quality in a Mediterranean coastal lagoon

Fish morphological and parasitological traits as ecological indicators of habitat quality in a Mediterranean coastal lagoon

Landscape‐wide pulse events predict trait‐based responses among wetland birds in perennial channels of a dryland wetland

Identifying important habitats for waterbird conservation at a Greek Regional Nature Park

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