Waterbird response indicates floodplain wetland restoration

Hagy, Heath M.; Hine, Christopher S.; Horath, Michelle M.; Yetter, Aaron P.; Smith, Randolph V.; Stafford, Joshua D.

doi:10.1007/s10750-016-3004-3

Cited by 38 publications

(31 citation statements)

References 60 publications

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“…However, our observations were in contrast to the explanation provided by Legagneux et al (), who suggested that small roosting areas, low duck densities (<6.5 ducks/ha), and high resource availability led to shorter foraging flight distances than studies from North America. Waterbird and duck densities during autumn migration at large wetlands in our study area exceeded densities documented in France (Legagneux et al ; Hagy et al , ), and we posit that food and habitat availability were apparently abundant in portions of our study area outside of designated refuges (Stafford et al ; Hagy et al , ). Additionally, the landscape of central Illinois was dominated by agriculture and harvested crop fields were abundant during our study.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 51%

“…However, we documented relatively low use (18.7%, diurnal; 18.1%, nocturnal) of designated refuges by mallards in our study area. Although we did not measure food density on refuges in our study area, data from aerial waterfowl inventories and our observations suggested that foraging habitat was generally poor on these areas (O'Neal et al , Hagy et al ). Flooding from the Illinois River in August and thereafter killed or prevented maturation of moist‐soil plants or affected infrastructure used for managing hydrology and moist‐soil vegetation.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 88%

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Mallard survival, movements, and habitat use during autumn in Illinois

et al. 2017

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The Illinois River Valley (IRV) in central Illinois, USA, provides migratory stopover habitat for millions of waterfowl during autumn and spring in the Mississippi Flyway. Mallards (Anas platyrhynchos) are the most abundant species of waterfowl during autumn migration and the most harvested duck in Illinois. We investigated mallard migration ecology in central Illinois, USA, to address information needs of biologists and managers in the Upper Mississippi River and Great Lake Region Joint Venture and Illinois Department of Natural Resources. Our objectives were to document daily movements and identify factors affecting interwetland movements, investigate lengths of foraging flights, assess home range size during stopover, describe habitat use and identify factors associated with wetland use, estimate survival and cause specific mortality, and evaluate proportional use of refuges and areas open to hunting in and nearby the IRV by mallards. We employed standard radio-telemetry techniques to achieve our objectives during autumns and early winters 2009 and 2010 (n ¼ 86 F and 56 M mallards). The mean movement distance between locations collected on consecutive days was 2,822 AE 120 (SE) m (n ¼ 1,862; max. ¼ 56,966 m) across age, sex, and months. Female mallards (n ¼ 35) traveled 2,708 AE 191 m during evening foraging flights (n ¼ 145) to agricultural fields and emergent marshes. Mean home range size (95% minimum convex polygon) was 21,306 AE 1,925 ha across sex and age classes (n ¼ 81 mallards). We documented 43 mortalities of 142 radio-marked mallards (2009: 28.2%; 2010: 32.3%) with 85.0% and 69.6% of deaths attributed to hunting in 2009 and 2010, respectively. Body condition, hunting period, age, year, minimum daily temperature, and daily movement distance were important variables affecting survival, but differences were most pronounced for year and hunting period.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 51%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 88%

Mallard survival, movements, and habitat use during autumn in Illinois

et al. 2017

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“…To mitigate deleterious effects of frequent growing‐season floods, some floodplain wetland restoration occurs within existing agricultural drainage and levee districts (Bajer et al ; Sparks et al ). Although some ecological goods and services are lost or reduced when there is a limited floodplain‐river connection (Opperman et al ), wetland restoration within drainage and levee districts can provide high‐quality habitat for wildlife and fishes (Jackson & Pringle ; Hagy et al ; VanMiddlesworth et al ). Moreover, limiting frequent and high‐magnitude floods during the growing season can encourage a diverse community of obligate and facultative hydrophytic plants that attract a wide variety of waterfowl and other waterbirds (Hine et al ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Energetic implications of floodplain wetland restoration strategies for waterfowl

McClain¹,

Hagy²,

Hine³

et al. 2018

Restoration Ecology

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Modifications of the Illinois River and associated tributaries have resulted in altered hydrologic cycles and persistent river‐floodplain connections during the growing season that frequently impede the establishment of hydrophytic vegetation and have reduced value for migratory waterfowl and other waterbirds. To help guide floodplain restoration, we compared energetic carrying capacity for waterfowl in two wetland complexes along the Illinois River under different management regimes during 2012–2015. The south pool of Chautauqua National Wildlife Refuge (CNWR) was seasonally flooded due to a partial river connection and managed for moist‐soil vegetation. Emiquon Preserve was hydrologically isolated from the Illinois River by a high‐elevation levee and managed as a semipermanently flooded emergent marsh. Semipermanent emergent marsh management at Emiquon Preserve produced 5,495 energetic use‐days (EUD)/ha for waterfowl and other waterbirds across wetland cover types and years, and seasonal moist‐soil management at CNWR produced 6,199 EUD/ha in one of 4 years. At Emiquon Preserve, the aquatic bed cover type produced 9,660 EUD/ha, followed by 5,261 EUD/ha in moist‐soil, 1,398 EUD/ha in persistent emergent, 1,185 EUD/ha in hemi‐marsh, and 12 EUD/ha in open water cover types. At CNWR, the annual grass and sedge cover type produced 7,031 EUD/ha, followed by 5,618 EUD/ha in annual broadleaf and 1,305 EUD/ha in perennial grass cover types. Restoration of floodplain wetlands in isolation from frequent flood pulses during the growing season can produce hemi‐marsh and aquatic bed vegetation communities that provide high‐quality habitat for waterfowl and which have been mostly eliminated from large river systems in the Midwest, U.S.A.

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“…Hagy et al (2016a) documented the tremendous response of waterbirds to wetland restoration at Emiquon showing that about 30% of all waterbird use-days observed during autumn migration in the Illinois River valley between 2007 and 2013 occurred at Emiquon, even though the Preserve only represented about 5% of the flooded area in the valley. Among the most noteworthy responses at Emiquon were the American coots, northern pintail (Anas acuta), and green-winged teal (Anas carolinensis), which exhibited the greatest use recorded for any site in the Illinois River Valley since 1948.…”

Section: Community-level Papersmentioning

confidence: 99%

Introduction: The ecology of a river floodplain and the Emiquon preserve

et al. 2017

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Scientific study of the Illinois River began before a century of anthropogenic change, thus providing a unique perspective for describing river ecology restoration. In this issue, we explain how systematic monitoring revealed patterns in the restoration of the 2723-ha Emiquon Preserve on the Illinois River. The papers describe (1) how planktonic microorganisms, vegetation, fish, and waterbird communities responded rapidly to flooding of former shallow lakes and wetlands that had been drained and used for dryland agriculture for 83 years; (2) how variation of hydrologic conditions favors biotic community diversity and conditions for carbon sequestration; (3) how fish populations imposed a trophic cascade and affected diversity, yet may not help control some undesirable fish species; and (4) how simulation models are useful in planning, but that restoration practice and management decisions must adapt to present conditions, involve trade-offs, and are influenced by competing stakeholder interests. Unsurprisingly, water level management remains the most important factor in the restoration ecology of floodplains; however, the establishment of a river-floodplain connection should be managed to achieve a balance between establishing hydrology that mimics natural flood pulses while minimizing contemporary threats, including excessive nutrient and sediment loads and invasive species.

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Waterbird response indicates floodplain wetland restoration

Cited by 38 publications

References 60 publications

Mallard survival, movements, and habitat use during autumn in Illinois

Mallard survival, movements, and habitat use during autumn in Illinois

Energetic implications of floodplain wetland restoration strategies for waterfowl

Introduction: The ecology of a river floodplain and the Emiquon preserve

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