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Factors Influencing Species-Richness of Breeding Waterbirds in Moroccan IBA and Ramsar Wetlands: A Macroecological Approach

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Abstract

Since 2005, Morocco has designated 28 Important Bird Areas (IBA) and Ramsar wetlands for waterbirds, yet little is known about how waterbird communities are changing over time and space, within and between sites. We assessed the relationships between species numbers of overall breeding waterbirds, as well as those of Anatidae, Rallidae and Podicipedidae, and geographical, topographical and macrohabitat factors. Species richness of overall waterbirds and Anatidae were positively correlated with: (i) extent of emergent vegetation, (ii) number of plant species present, and (iii) altitude. Species richness of Rallidae was positively correlated with: (i) latitude, and (ii) different beds of emergent vegetation, while that of Podicipedidae was exclusively correlated with altitude. These results suggest that breeding waterfowl are significantly related to habitat characteristics, most importantly vegetation structure, and altitude. Our findings give support to the idea that large mountain wetlands protected areas provide valuable habitat to breeding waterbirds in this region, by providing larger buffer zones with fewer human activities, such as hunting, urbanization and tourism disturbance. This study provides a platform from which we can advance the scientific research on Moroccan IBA and Ramsar wetlands.

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Acknowledgments

We are grateful to David Kleijn and Anthony David Fox for their collaboration. We thank M. Guillemain and an anonymous reviewer and the Editor of Wetlands Journal for their comments and advice. This study was supported by SEO/Birdlife, Spain.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. GREPOM/BirdLife Morocco, Résidence Oum Hani4, Im.22; Apt.3, 11160, Salé, Morocco

    Sidi Imad Cherkaoui

  2. Forest Research Center, High Commission for Water, Forests and Desertification Control, Avenue Omar Ibn El Khattab, BP 763, 10050, Rabat-Agdal, Morocco

    Saâd Hanane & Najib Magri

  3. Institut Scientifique de Rabat, Avenue Ibn Batouta, B.P 703, Rabat-Agdal, Morocco

    Mohamed-Aziz El Agbani & Mohamed Dakki

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  1. Sidi Imad Cherkaoui
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  2. Saâd Hanane
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  3. Najib Magri
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  4. Mohamed-Aziz El Agbani
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  5. Mohamed Dakki
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Correspondence to Sidi Imad Cherkaoui.

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Cherkaoui, S.I., Hanane, S., Magri, N. et al. Factors Influencing Species-Richness of Breeding Waterbirds in Moroccan IBA and Ramsar Wetlands: A Macroecological Approach. Wetlands 35, 913–922 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13157-015-0682-y

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