Effect of habitat and landscape structure on waterbird abundance in wetlands of Central Argentina

BRANDOLIN PG; BLENDINGER PG

WETLANDS ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT

SPRINGER

Lugar: Berlin; Año: 2016 vol. 24 p. 93 - 105

0923-4861

Determining the response of birds to localhabitat characteristics and landscape structure isessential to understanding habitat selection and itsconsequences for the distribution of species. Thisstudy identified the influence of environmental factorsas determinants of the waterbird assemblage compositionin 39 wetlands in the Pampas of centralArgentina. Multivariate analysis allowed the identificationof environmental factors affecting the use ofhabitat by waterbird species, whose variable numberswere explained by local and landscape environmentalfactors. Interspecific variation in responses to changesin environmental factors shows that habitat selectionoccurs at a species-specific level, although specieswith similar ecological requirements tend to respondsimilarly to environmental heterogeneity. Plovers andflamingos were mostly associated with high salinityand the presence of a muddy shoreline and temporaryponds; ducks, herons and ibises were associated withvegetation abundance and decrease in salinity; piscivoresand carnivorous species were associated withwater depth. The small degree of overlap of habitatrequirements between some species suggests a highlevel of specialization within waterbird assemblages.This knowledge can be used for the design ofappropriate conservation and management strategiesin central Argentina, where the alarming loss ofwetlands requires management strategies that ensurethe permanence of the greatest diversity of waterbirds.