Quantifying shorebird habitat in managed wetlands by modeling shallow water depth dynamics.

ABSTRACT: Over 50% of Western Hemisphere shorebird species are in decline due to ongoing habitat loss and degradation. In some regions of high wetland loss, shorebirds are heavily reliant on a core network of remaining human-managed wetlands during migration journeys in the spring and fall. While most refuges have been designed and managed to match the habitat needs of waterfowl, shorebirds typically require much shallower water (<10 cm deep). Traditional static habitat modeling approaches at relatively coarse spatial and temporal resolution are insufficient to capture dynamic changes within this narrow water depth range. Our objectives were to (1) develop a method to quantify shallow water habitat distributions in inland non-tidal wetlands, and (2) to assess how water management practices affect th

SUBMITTER: Schaffer-Smith D 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6123259 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature