On Determining the Significance of Ephemeral Continental Wetlands to North American Migratory Shorebirds

Skagen, Susan K.; Granfors, Diane A.; Melcher, Cynthia P.

doi:10.1525/auk.2008.125.1.20

Cited by 56 publications

(64 citation statements)

References 19 publications

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“…However, these patterns were not mutually exclusive within and among landscapes but rather existed along a gradient where local weather patterns caused some habitats to dissipate while other habitats became available. Previous investigations of migratory shorebirds in the interior of North America have noted similar trends among ephemeral and semi-permanent wetlands during wet and dry periods (Skagen et al 2008a). In these systems, the highly dynamic nature and shifting distributions of available habitats makes the availability of specific wetlands unpredictable.…”

Section: Implications Of a Changing Environmentmentioning

confidence: 81%

“…Shorebirds use a variety of these wetland habitats as stopover sites to replenish energy reserves that are critical to successfully complete migration (Skagen and Knopf 1993). However, the wetland habitats available for migratory shorebirds can vary widely depending on seasonal and annual weather patterns because capricious weather patterns produce an unstable wetland landscape with transient and unpredictable resources (Skagen et al 2008a). For example, severe and erratic weather patterns in the Southern Great Plains of N. America can produce highly dynamic wetland clusters.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, these temporary wetlands can provide habitat after heavy precipitation and during wet periods when the exposed mud of more permanent wetlands becomes inundated. Thus, migrating shorebirds encounter a spatially and temporally shifting mosaic of habitat conditions during migration along with unpredictable habitats and food supplies (Skagen and Knopf 1993;Skagen et al 2008a). As a result, the occurrence and movement patterns of migratory shorebirds through interior North America can vary greatly within and among seasonal and annual migration periods (Colwell 2010).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Heterogeneous wetland complexes and the broad dispersion and erratic occurrence of migratory shorebirds throughout the Southern Great Plains make a quantitative evaluation of shorebird-habitat relationships at appropriate spatio-temporal scales challenging. Alternatively, the effectiveness of site-based approaches is limited because shorebirds typically exhibit low site fidelity and greater opportunism as a consequence of the unpredictable nature of suitable habitat (Skagen et al 2008a;Colwell 2010). To meet these challenges, an effective approach must consider the relationship between weather patterns and the distribution of wetland habitats among landscapes over time, and the response of shorebirds to these patterns among a range of scales.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

Spatiotemporal scaling of North American continental interior wetlands: implications for shorebird conservation

2012

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Within interior North America, erratic weather patterns and heterogeneous wetland complexes cause wide spatio-temporal variation in the resources available to migrating shorebirds. Identifying the pattern-generating components of landscape-level resources and the scales at which shorebirds respond to these patterns will better facilitate conservation efforts for these species. We constructed descriptive models that identified weather variables associated with creating the spatio-temporal patterns of shorebird habitat in ten landscapes in north-central Oklahoma. We developed a metric capable of measuring the dynamic composition and configuration of shorebird habitat in the region and used field data to empirically estimate the spatial scale at which shorebirds respond to the amount and configuration of habitat. Precipitation, temperature, solar radiation and wind speed best explained the incidence of wetland habitat, but relationships varied among wetland types. Shorebird occurrence patterns were best explained by habitat density estimates at a 1.5 km scale. This model correctly classified 86 % of shorebird observations. At this scale, when habitat density was low, shorebirds occurred in 5 % of surveyed habitat patches but occurrence reached 60 % when habitat density was high. Our results suggest scale dependence in the habitat-use patterns of migratory shorebirds. We discuss potential implications of our results and how integrating this information into conservation efforts may improve conservation strategies and management practices.

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Section: Implications Of a Changing Environmentmentioning

confidence: 81%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Spatiotemporal scaling of North American continental interior wetlands: implications for shorebird conservation

2012

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“…So, during the first few years of restoration of a previously open shallow lake, the lack of emergent vegetation and exposure of the basin bottom will not be optimal habitat for species such as diving ducks and rails. On the other hand, shorebirds may forage on the mudflats during spring and fall migration (Taft et al 2002, Skagen et al 2008. Other important variables that affect waterbird use include water depth Taft 2000, Taft et al 2002), water level fluctuations (Dimalexis and Pyrovetsi 1997, NtiamoaBaidu et al 1998, Taft et al 2002, disturbances , and the surrounding landscape , Froneman et al 2001, Pearse et al 2012.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Migrating and breeding bird use of restored shallow lakes in Iowa

Vanausdall

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Climate change causes declines and greater extremes in wetland inundation in a region important for wetland birds

Londe,

Davis,

Loss

et al. 2023

Ecological Applications

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Wetland ecosystems are vital for maintaining global biodiversity, as they provide important stopover sites for many species of migrating wetland‐associated birds. However, because weather determines their hydrologic cycles, wetlands are highly vulnerable to effects of climate change. Although changes in temperature and precipitation resulting from climate change are expected to reduce inundation of wetlands, few efforts have been made to quantify how these changes will influence the availability of stopover sites for migratory wetland birds. Additionally, few studies have evaluated how climate change will influence interannual variability or the frequency of extremes in wetland availability. For spring and fall bird migration in seven ecoregions in the south‐central Great Plains of North America, we developed predictive models associating abundance of inundated wetlands with a suite of weather and land cover variables. We then used these models to generate predictions of wetland inundation at the end of the century (2069–2099) under future climate change scenarios. Climate models predicted the average number of inundated wetlands will likely decline during both spring and fall migration periods, with declines being greatest in the eastern ecoregions of the southern Great Plains. However, the magnitude of predicted declines varied considerably across climate models and ecoregions, with uncertainty among climate models being greatest in the High Plains ecoregion. Most ecoregions also were predicted to experience more‐frequent extremely dry years (i.e., years with extremely low wetland abundances), but the projected change in interannual variability of wetland inundation was relatively small and varied across ecoregions and seasons. Because the south‐central Great Plains represents an important link along the migratory routes of many wetland‐dependent avian species, future declines in wetland inundation and more frequent periods of only a few wetlands being inundated will result in an uncertain future for migratory birds as they experience reduced availability of wetland stopover habitat across their migration pathways.

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On Determining the Significance of Ephemeral Continental Wetlands to North American Migratory Shorebirds

Cited by 56 publications

References 19 publications

Spatiotemporal scaling of North American continental interior wetlands: implications for shorebird conservation

Spatiotemporal scaling of North American continental interior wetlands: implications for shorebird conservation

Migrating and breeding bird use of restored shallow lakes in Iowa

Climate change causes declines and greater extremes in wetland inundation in a region important for wetland birds

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