Influence of lake levels on water extent, interspersion, and marsh birds in Great Lakes coastal wetlands

Hohman, Tara R.; Howe, Robert W.; Tozer, Douglas C.; Giese, Erin E. Gnass; Wolf, Amy; Niemi, Gerald J.; Gehring, Thomas M.; Grabas, Greg P.; Norment, Christopher J.

doi:10.1016/j.jglr.2021.01.006

Cited by 17 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 59 publications

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“…Water levels determine the type and availability of habitats by impacting food resources and shelter vegetation for waterbirds (Holm and Clausen, 2006;Faragó and Hangya, 2012;Jahanbakhsh Ganjeh et al, 2017;Jing et al, 2017;Liang et al, 2022). Hence, water levels in wetlands are crucial for species diversity and the composition of wintering waterbirds (Zhang et al, 2018a;Hohman et al, 2021). At present, the research on the water level fluctuations affecting lake wetlands have mainly focused on habitat suitability for migratory birds using high-resolution images (Wang et al, 2018a;Wu et al, 2021;Zhu et al, 2021).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The impacts of water level fluctuations from paddy fields and aquaculture ponds on wetland habitats for wintering waterbirds: Implications for wetland management

Cheng

Zhu²,

Alatalo³

et al. 2022

Front. Environ. Sci.

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The distribution and composition of wetland habitats for wintering waterbirds are heavily influenced by water level fluctuations. Through polder construction and aquaculture activities, paddy fields and aquaculture ponds have decreased the lateral connectivity of water level fluctuations in the lake. However, the impacts of water level fluctuations on habitat suitability, which can be seen using high-resolution images analysis, often cannot separate disturbances caused by the paddy fields and aquaculture ponds, and it is difficult to capture the actual impact of water level fluctuations on wetland habitats. Based on remote sensing image data and hydrological data, we selected Caizi Lake as a study site and comparatively analyzed the changes in wintering waterbird habitats in a water level sequence under the two scenarios. Our work showed that paddy fields and aquaculture ponds should be considered as potential options for creating more suitable habitats for migratory waterbirds if combined with reasonable and effective management of the water level within the paddy fields and aquaculture ponds. The present study results could facilitate the management and sustainable utilization of Caizi Lake wetlands and provide support for creating small habitats by managing the water levels of paddy fields and aquaculture ponds.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The impacts of water level fluctuations from paddy fields and aquaculture ponds on wetland habitats for wintering waterbirds: Implications for wetland management

Cheng

Zhu²,

Alatalo³

et al. 2022

Front. Environ. Sci.

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“…Our study also did not account for social cues such as conspecific interactions, attraction, and territoriality that may influence habitat selection (Field & Gehring, 2015). Likewise, water levels influence abundances of these species in the CWMP dataset (Gnass Giese et al, 2018; Hohman et al, 2021) and in coastal wetlands of the GLMMP dataset (Timmermans et al, 2008). However, we were limited to using only those variables available in all three datasets for conducting inter‐region analyses.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Application of habitat association models across regions: Useful explanatory power retained in wetland bird case study

et al. 2023

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Species often exhibit regionally specific habitat associations, so habitat association models developed in one region might not be accurate or even appropriate for other regions. Three programs to survey wetland‐breeding birds covering (respectively) Great Lakes coastal wetlands, inland Great Lakes wetlands, and the Prairie Pothole Region offer an opportunity to test whether regionally specific models of habitat use by wetland‐obligate breeding birds are transferrable across regions. We first developed independent, regional population density models for four species of wetland‐obligate birds: Pied‐billed Grebe (Podilymbus podiceps), Virginia Rail (Rallus limicola), Sora (Porzana carolina), and American Bittern (Botaurus lentiginosus). We then used adjusted pseudo‐R2 values to compare the amount of variation explained by each model when applied to data collected in each of the three regions. Although certain habitat characteristics, such as emergent vegetation and wetland area, were consistently important across regions, models for each species differed by region—both in variables selected for inclusion and often in the directionality of relationships for common variables—indicating that habitat associations for these species are regionally specific. When we applied a model developed in one region to data collected in another region, we found that explanatory power was reduced in most (71%) models. Therefore, we suggest that ecological analyses should emphasize regionally specific habitat association models whenever possible. Nonetheless, models created from inland Great Lakes wetland data had higher median explanatory power when applied to other regions, and the amount of explanatory power lost by other transferred models was relatively small. Thus, while regionally specific habitat association models are preferable, in the absence of reliable regional data, habitat association models developed in one region may be applied to another region, but the results need to be cautiously interpreted. Additionally, we found that median explanatory power was higher when local‐scale habitat characteristics were included in the models, indicating that regionally specific models should ideally be based on a combination of local‐ and landscape‐scale habitat characteristics. Conservation practitioners can leverage such regionally specific models and associated monitoring data to help prioritize areas for management activities that contribute to regional conservation efforts.

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“…In the northwest corner of Lake Michigan in Wisconsin, USA, extensive coastal wetland marshes bordering the shorelines of Green Bay account for a disproportionately large amount of Lake Michigan's total wetland area. Green Bay's coastal wetlands support numerous species and are important migratory stops for waterfowl and several species at risk (Albert and Minc 2004;Hohman et al 2021;Prince et al 1992). However, eutrophication of Green Bay's waters from surrounding agricultural lands, non-native species introductions, and high recreational use have contributed to the establishment and proliferation of non-native plants (Zedler and Kercher 2004).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Discovery of European frogbit (Hydrocharis morus-ranae L.) in Oconto County, Wisconsin: A summary of physical and plant community changes at a Lake Michigan coastal marsh

Rutherford

Hartsock

Danz

2022

Preprint

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Located in Oconto County, Wisconsin, Oconto Marsh #2 is a Great Lakes Coastal Wetland Monitoring Program (CWMP) study site that borders the shoreline of Lake Michigan. Plant communities were characterized at Oconto Marsh #2 along three fixed transects in 2011, 2016, 2017 and 2021, a period when Lake Michigan water levels increased by two meters. Transects were placed to intersect with three vegetation zones: submergent, emergent, and wet meadow. Here, we highlight physical landscape changes and the vegetation composition changes that occurred from 2011 to 2021. From satellite imagery, we estimate the vegetated wetland area decreased by 50 percent. High energy wave action and ice scour penetrating farther inland are likely most responsible for causing these changes. Using multivariate ordination and PERMANOVA, we show plant composition in 2011 and 2021 was different from years 2016 and 2017. While invasive Phragmites australis was treated with herbicide in 2014 (herbicide treatment completed by non-CWMP groups), disturbance from progressively increasing water levels has facilitated considerable species turnover since monitoring began. Despite successful treatment of P. australis, the establishment of additional non-native species has caused site-wide mean coefficient of conservatism scores to decline from a calculated score of 4.2 in 2011 to 3.3 in 2021. Of critical importance, we discovered the highly invasive species European frogbit (EFB) (Hydrocharis morus-ranae L) near the research transects in 2021. This is the first documented occurrence of EFB in Wisconsin. The newly discovered EFB range spans 31 km along the general shoreline from Marinette to Oconto, WI.

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Influence of lake levels on water extent, interspersion, and marsh birds in Great Lakes coastal wetlands

Cited by 17 publications

References 59 publications

The impacts of water level fluctuations from paddy fields and aquaculture ponds on wetland habitats for wintering waterbirds: Implications for wetland management

The impacts of water level fluctuations from paddy fields and aquaculture ponds on wetland habitats for wintering waterbirds: Implications for wetland management

Application of habitat association models across regions: Useful explanatory power retained in wetland bird case study

Discovery of European frogbit (Hydrocharis morus-ranae L.) in Oconto County, Wisconsin: A summary of physical and plant community changes at a Lake Michigan coastal marsh

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