REAL

Environmental factors shaping the distribution of common wintering waterbirds in a lake ecosystem with developed shoreline

Pap, Katalin and Nagy, Lajos and Balogh, Csilla and G.-Tóth, László and Liker, András (2013) Environmental factors shaping the distribution of common wintering waterbirds in a lake ecosystem with developed shoreline. HYDROBIOLOGIA, 716 (1). pp. 163-176. ISSN 0018-8158

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Abstract

In this study, we tested whether the spatial distribution of waterbirds is influenced by shoreline urbanization or other habitat characteristics. We conducted monthly censuses along shoreline sections of a continental lake (Lake Balaton, Hungary) to assess the abundance of 11 common species that use this lake as a feeding and staging area during migration and winter. We estimated the degree of urbanization of the same shoreline sections and also measured other habitat characteristics (water depth, extent of reed cover, biomass of zebra mussels, distances to waste dumps and to other wetlands). We applied linear models and model averaging to identify habitat variables with high relative importance for predicting bird distributions. Bird abundance and urbanization were strongly related only in one species. Other habitat variables exhibited stronger relationships with bird distribution: (1) diving ducks and coots preferred shoreline sections with high zebra mussel biomass, (2) gulls preferred sites close to waste dumps, and (3) the abundances of several species were higher on shoreline sections close to other wetlands. Our findings suggest that the distribution of waterbirds on Lake Balaton is largely independent of shoreline urbanization and influenced by food availability and connectivity between wetlands.

Item Type: Article
Subjects: Q Science / természettudomány > QE Geology / földtudományok > QE08 Hydrosphere. Hydrology / hidroszféra, hidrológia
Q Science / természettudomány > QH Natural history / természetrajz > QH301 Biology / biológia
SWORD Depositor: MTMT SWORD
Depositing User: MTMT SWORD
Date Deposited: 25 Jan 2014 03:27
Last Modified: 01 Nov 2014 00:15
URI: http://real.mtak.hu/id/eprint/9157

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