Associations between salinity and use of non-riverine wetland habitats by diurnal birds

Smith, Michael J.; Scroggie, Michael P.; Schreiber, E. S. G.; McNabb, Ed; Cheers, Garry; Macak, Phoebe; Loyn, Richard; Ough, Keely

doi:10.1071/mu08044

Cited by 4 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 25 publications

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“…The unimodal relationship between benthic algal biomass and salinity reflects a similar shaped relationship with waterbirds over the same gradient (Smith et al 2009). These results point to the importance of saline wetlands in landscapes and would have been overlooked if conventional monotonic analysis was used.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Studies of primary-producer biomass along environmental gradients in these and other ecosystems have found biomass to have a hump-shaped relationship with the predictor with a peak at intermediate values of the predictor (Timms 1981;Hammer 1986). This has important implications when high primary-producer biomass in mesosaline wetlands may directly or indirectly provide resources leading to increased abundance of secondary producers and species important to managers, such as birds (Stiling and Moon 2005;Herbst 2006;Smith et al 2009). …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Relative effects of local and landscape factors on wetland algal biomass over a salinity gradient

et al. 2009

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Wetlands in south-eastern Australia and other arid regions of the world are experiencing increases in salinity due to dryland salinization and climate change. We investigated changes in wetland ecological function, measured as phytoplankton and benthic algal Chl a, over a large salinity gradient (0.047-226 mS cm -1 ) and in relation to several local water chemistry variables that may be important predictors of algal biomass. We investigated the relative importance of landscape variables that may affect input pollution and hydrology of wetlands at four spatial scales (100, 500, 1,000 and 5000 m). We explored the strength and form of the relationships between algal biomass and local and landscape predictors with emphasis on the effects of local and landscape salinity. We found local variables were more important than landscape variables in influencing algal biomass. We also found salinity of wetlands was not a good predictor of phytoplankton biomass but it did predict benthic algal biomass.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Relative effects of local and landscape factors on wetland algal biomass over a salinity gradient

et al. 2009

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Characteristics of refugia used by the threatened Australian growling grass frog (Litoria raniformis) during a prolonged drought

et al. 2013

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Context Because they are dependent on water, drought can have a deleterious impact on aquatic-breeding amphibians. One such species, the threatened growling grass frog (Litoria raniformis) occurs in south-eastern Australia, a region that has recently emerged from a decade-long, severe drought. Aims We aimed to identify features of drought refugia that facilitate persistence of L. raniformis, so as to provide guidance to natural-resource managers attempting to conserve populations of this species during drought. Methods We conducted repeat surveys for L. raniformis at 90 water bodies at the end of the ‘millennium drought’. We recorded the following six environmental variables for each water body: origin (natural or not), type (lotic or lentic), proportion of aquatic vegetation cover, conductivity of water, riparian tree-canopy cover and distance to the nearest woodland. We used occupancy models to relate the presence of L. raniformis to these variables, while accounting for uncertain detection. Key results Water-body type (natural or artificial, lentic or lotic) had minimal influence on the probability of occupancy by L. raniformis. We found a strong negative relationship between occupancy and conductivity of water (a surrogate for salinity), and a positive relationship between occupancy and the proportion of aquatic vegetation. We found a negative relationship between detection and the extent of aquatic vegetation, and a mildly negative effect of canopy cover on occupancy. Conclusions Habitat characteristics are more important indicators of the quality of drought refugia for L. raniformis than is the type of water body per se. Consequently, we identified aquatic vegetation and salinity as important targets for management when planning the retention, creation or restoration of habitat to facilitate persistence of L. raniformis during drought. Implications Our results highlighted aquatic vegetation and water-quality parameters that are likely to facilitate the persistence of L. raniformis during drought. Assessing the effectiveness of our recommendations in an experimental framework would ensure that conservation management of this frog can be refined over time.

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Wetland characteristics influence disease risk for a threatened amphibian

Heard

Scroggie

Clemann

et al. 2014

Ecological Applications

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Identifying determinants of the probability and intensity of infections is important for understanding the epidemiology of wildlife diseases, and for managing their impact on threatened species. Chytridiomycosis, caused by the fungal pathogen Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis, has decimated populations of some amphibians. However, recent studies have identified important environmental constraints on the disease, related to the pathogen's physiological tolerances. In this study, we identified several intrinsic and extrinsic determinants of the probability and intensity of chytrid infections for the threatened growling grass frog (Litoria raniformis) in southeastern Australia, and used mark-recapture to estimate the effect of chytrid infections on the probability of survival of these frogs. Water temperature and salinity had negative effects on both the probability and intensity of chytrid infections. We coupled models of the infection process with a model of the effect of chytrid infections on the probability of survival to assess variation in the impact of chytridiomycosis between wetlands with differing temperature and salinity profiles. Our results suggest that warm, saline wetlands may be refuges from chytridiomycosis for L. raniformis, and should be priorities for protection. Our results also suggest that management actions that increase water temperature (e.g., reducing canopy shading) and salinity (e.g., complementing inflows with groundwater) could be trialed to reduce the impacts of chytridiomycosis on this species. This and other recent studies highlight the value of research on environmental risk factors for chytridiomycosis.

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Associations between salinity and use of non-riverine wetland habitats by diurnal birds

Cited by 4 publications

References 25 publications

Relative effects of local and landscape factors on wetland algal biomass over a salinity gradient

Relative effects of local and landscape factors on wetland algal biomass over a salinity gradient

Characteristics of refugia used by the threatened Australian growling grass frog (Litoria raniformis) during a prolonged drought

Wetland characteristics influence disease risk for a threatened amphibian

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