Flooding regimes increase avian predation on wildlife prey in tidal marsh ecosystems

Thorne, Karen M.; Spragens, Kyle A.; Buffington, Kevin J.; Rosencranz, Jordan A.; Takekawa, John Y.

doi:10.1002/ece3.4792

Cited by 6 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 49 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Species that use similar habitats such as California black rails ( Laterallus jamaicensis coturniculus ; Tsao et al., 2009) have been shown to rely on levees for refugia as well. High water has also been shown to increase the hunting activity of avian predators in tidal wetlands (Thorne et al., 2019), increasing the value of refugia for predator avoidance.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Application of lidar to assess the habitat selection of an endangered small mammal in an estuarine wetland environment

Hagani,

Takekawa,

Skalos

et al. 2024

Ecology and Evolution

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Light detection and ranging (lidar) has emerged as a valuable tool for examining the fine‐scale characteristics of vegetation. However, lidar is rarely used to examine coastal wetland vegetation or the habitat selection of small mammals. Extensive anthropogenic modification has threatened the endemic species in the estuarine wetlands of the California coast, such as the endangered salt marsh harvest mouse (Reithrodontomys raviventris; SMHM). A better understanding of SMHM habitat selection could help managers better protect this species. We assessed the ability of airborne topographic lidar imagery in measuring the vegetation structure of SMHM habitats in a coastal wetland with a narrow range of vegetation heights. We also aimed to better understand the role of vegetation structure in habitat selection at different spatial scales. Habitat selection was modeled from data compiled from 15 small mammal trapping grids collected in the highly urbanized San Francisco Estuary in California, USA. Analyses were conducted at three spatial scales: microhabitat (25 m2), mesohabitat (2025 m2), and macrohabitat (~10,000 m2). A suite of structural covariates was derived from raw lidar data to examine vegetation complexity. We found that adding structural covariates to conventional habitat selection variables significantly improved our models. At the microhabitat scale in managed wetlands, SMHM preferred areas with denser and shorter vegetation and selected for proximity to levees and taller vegetation in tidal wetlands. At the mesohabitat scale, SMHM were associated with a lower percentage of bare ground and with pickleweed (Salicornia pacifica) presence. All covariates were insignificant at the macrohabitat scale. Our results suggest that SMHM preferentially selected microhabitats with access to tidal refugia and mesohabitats with consistent food sources. Our findings showed that lidar can contribute to improving our understanding of habitat selection of wildlife in coastal wetlands and help to guide future conservation of an endangered species.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…High water has also been shown to increase the hunting activity of avian predators in tidal wetlands (Thorne et al, 2019), increasing the value of refugia for predator avoidance.…”

Section: Habitat Selection Of Smhmmentioning

confidence: 99%

Application of lidar to assess the habitat selection of an endangered small mammal in an estuarine wetland environment

Hagani,

Takekawa,

Skalos

et al. 2024

Ecology and Evolution

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…In addition, the increased inundation from tidal amplification suggests potentially higher rates of wildlife drowning, nest flooding, or predation (Thorne et al, 2013), which has been shown in studies of the California Ridgway's rail (Rallus obsoletus obsoletus) (Overton & Wood, 2015) and the California black rail (Laterallus jamaicensus coturniculus) (Thorne et al, 2019). Tidal amplification could bring these negative impacts to species dependent on S. pacifica and/or sensitive to inundation, yet on the other hand, tidal amplification (especially at high levels) does allow a marsh to persist longer in time.…”

Section: Habitat Characteristicsmentioning

confidence: 96%

Future Marsh Evolution Due To Tidal Changes Induced by Human Adaptation to Sea Level Rise

Balderas Guzman,

Buffington,

Thorne

et al. 2023

Earth's Future

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

With sea level rise threatening coastal development, decision‐makers are beginning to act by modifying shorelines. Previous research has shown that hardening or softening shorelines may change the tidal range under future sea level rise. Tidal range can also be changed by natural factors. Coastal marshes, which humans increasingly depend on for shoreline protection, are ecologically sensitive to tidal range. Therefore, it is critical to examine how changes in tidal range could influence marsh processes. A marsh accretion model was used to investigate the ecological response of a San Francisco Bay, California, USA marsh to multiple tidal range scenarios and sea level rise from 2010 to 2100. The scenarios include a baseline scenario with no shoreline modifications in the estuary, a shoreline hardening scenario that amplifies the tidal range, and 14 tidal range scenarios as a sensitivity analysis that span tidal amplification and reduction of the baseline scenario. The modeling results expose key tradeoffs to consider when planning for sea level rise. Compared to the baseline, the hardening scenario shows minor differences. However, further tidal amplification prolongs marsh survival but decreases Sarcocornia pacifica cover, an important species for certain threatened wildlife and an effective attenuator of wave energy. Conversely, tidal reduction precipitates marsh drowning but shows gains in Sarcocornia pacifica cover. These mixed impacts of tidal amplification and reduction shown by the model indicate potential tradeoffs in relation to marsh survival, habitat characteristics, and shoreline protection. This study suggests the need for a cross‐sectoral, regional approach to sea level rise adaptation.

show abstract

“…Anomalous flooding events in marshes can also impact resident wildlife by increasing predation (Thorne et al., 2019), displacing individuals during high water events (Smith et al., 2014), or reducing fecundity (Correll et al., 2017; Van De Pol et al., 2010). Van DePol et al.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Anomalous flooding events in marshes can also impact resident wildlife by increasing predation (Thorne et al, 2019), displacing individuals during high water events (Smith et al, 2014), or reducing fecundity (Correll et al, 2017;Van De Pol et al, 2010). Van DePol et al (2010) suggests that unpredictable extreme flood events in lower elevation habitats may function as ecological traps for tidal marsh birds and decrease avian biodiversity.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Atmospheric River Storm Flooding Influences Tidal Marsh Elevation Building Processes

et al. 2022

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Disturbances are a key component of ecological processes in coastal ecosystems. Investigating factors that affect tidal marsh accretion and elevation change is important, largely due to accelerating sea‐level rise and the ecological and economic value of wetlands. Sediment accumulation rates, elevation change, and flooding were examined at five marshes along a riverine‐tidal gradient in the northern San Francisco Bay‐Delta, California, USA during an Atmospheric River storm event in 2017 using Surface Elevation Tables (SETs), feldspar marker horizons (MH), and continuous water‐level sensors. Our results showed that localized marsh flooding increased during the storm event, but not evenly across sites. Marsh surface elevation increased the most at the tidal freshwater marsh site in response to the storms, with an average surface elevation gain of 45.6 ± 13.1 mm, and the least at a tidal saline marsh with an average surface elevation gain of 4.0 ± 1.2 mm. A marsh located on the large embayment did not exhibit an immediate response to the storm but had a surface elevation gain of 21.5 ± 13.7 mm 6 months after the storm. During the storm period, marsh distance to the bay was the strongest predictor of elevation change, followed by SET‐MH elevations. Conversely, during non‐storm periods, SET‐MH elevation was a relatively strong predictor of elevation change. Atmospheric Rivers appear to be a major factor affecting short‐term spatial and temporal variability in flooding and sedimentation rates in tidal marsh systems. Incorporating information about storms into monitoring could increase our understanding of how episodic storms can impact marshes.

show abstract

Flooding regimes increase avian predation on wildlife prey in tidal marsh ecosystems

Cited by 6 publications

References 49 publications

Application of lidar to assess the habitat selection of an endangered small mammal in an estuarine wetland environment

Application of lidar to assess the habitat selection of an endangered small mammal in an estuarine wetland environment

Future Marsh Evolution Due To Tidal Changes Induced by Human Adaptation to Sea Level Rise

Atmospheric River Storm Flooding Influences Tidal Marsh Elevation Building Processes

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About