Multi-scale response of wetland bird assemblages to landscape patterns on a Neotropical island: when wetland type matters more than size

Abstract

Understanding wetland bird responses to landscape patterns is central for wetland management and bird conservation. This is particularly relevant on islands, where most of the global extinctions have occurred. In this study, we identified landscape patterns in wetlands on Cozumel Island that best explained abundance of birds grouped in 13 trophic guilds at 3 spatial scales (145, 300, and 850 m radius from count points). By using ordination techniques and generalized linear models we found a scale dependent dissimilarity between the use of extensive estuarine and small inland brackish wetlands. At finer spatial scales, abundance of birds in trophic guilds that mainly use estuarine or inland brackish wetlands was associated with the proportion of land cover types of the corresponding wetland type, whereas at the broadest spatial scale, connectivity of such land cover types was more important. Abundance of birds in trophic guilds that do not prefer any particular type of wetland did not show any relationship with landscape diversity nor connectivity of land cover types, but their abundance showed relationships with specific land cover types from both estuarine and inland brackish wetlands as well as with bordering wetland vegetation. We concluded that the presence of continuous extents of land cover types of both extensive estuarine and small inland brackish wetlands are important for the conservation of distinct wetland bird assemblages on Cozumel Island.

Appendix

Trophic guild membership of bird species based on key food resources reported in literature and field observations in the wetlands of Cozumel Island. Abundance was based on the highest count obtained for each species in each one of the 40 surveyed points. Status: resident (R), reproductive resident with visiting populations on winter (Rw), transient (T), winter visitor (W), winter visitor with non-reproductive populations on summer (Ws). Coarse status: resident (R) and migratory (M).

Trophic guild	Species	Bird group	Abundance within the guild (%)	Status	Coarse status	References
Brackish omnivores (bO)	Dendrocygna autumnalis	Whistling-Ducks	34.2	R	R	Bolen and Forsyth (1967), Bolen and Beecham (1970)
	Spatula discors	Ducks	35.4	W	M	Bellrose (1980), Rappole et al. (1983), Botero and Rusch (1994)
	Porzana carolina	Rails	0.9	W	M	Webster (1964), Rundle and Sayre (1983), Rappole et al. (1983)
	Porphyrio martinicus	Gallinules	0.4	R	R	Rappole et al. (1983), Stephens (1984)
	Gallinula galeata	Gallinules	7.6	R	R	Rappole et al. (1983)
	Fulica americana	Coots	21.4	W	M	Rappole et al. (1983), McKnight and Hepp (1998), Villamanga et al. (2010)
Estuarine shoreline invertivores (eSI)	Charadrius wilsonia	Plovers	20.1	Rw	R	Rappole et al. (1983), Iribarne and Martínez (1999), Paulson (2005)
	Charadrius semipalmatus	Plovers	63.8	Rw	R	Baker and Baker (1973), Rappole et al. (1983), Smith and Nol (2000)
	Arenaria interpres	Turnstones	6.0	Ws	M	Rappole et al. (1983), Whitfield (1990)
	Calidris spp. (C. pusilla and C. mauri)	Sandpipers	10.1	W	M	Rappole et al. (1983), Paulson (2005)
Brackish shoreline invertivores (bSI)	Laterallus ruber	Rails	14.6	R	R	Rappole et al. (1983) (Congener), del Hoyo et al. (1996) (Congener)
	Charadrius vociferus	Plovers	52.1	Rw	R	Brooks (1967), Rundle (1982), Rappole et al. (1983), Baldassarre and Fischer (1984), Fair et al. (1995)
	Calidris melanotos	Sandpipers	8.3	T	M	Brooks (1967), Rappole et al. (1983), Holden and Cleeves (2002)
	Tringa solitaria	Sandpipers	25.0	W	M	Bent (1929), Palmer (1967), Johnsgard (1981), Rappole et al. (1983), Moskoff (1995)
Shoreline invertivores (SI)	Pluvialis squatarola	Plovers	13.7	Ws	M	Rappole et al. (1983), Iribarne and Martínez (1999)
	Calidris minutilla	Sandpipers	41.6	W	M	Baker and Baker (1973), Brooks (1967), Rappole et al. (1983), Paulson (2005)
	Calidris fuscicollis	Sandpipers	32.4	T	M	Rappole et al. (1983), Beltzer (1991), Montalti et al. (2003), Hernández and Bala (2007)
	Actitis macularius	Sandpipers	12.3	W	M	Rappole et al. (1983), Placyk and Harrington (2004)
Estuarine wading invertivores (eWI)	Tringa semipalmata	Sandpipers	28.2	Ws	M	Rappole et al. (1983), Paulson (2005), Castillo-Guerrero et al. (2009)
	Tringa melanoleuca	Sandpipers	71.8	W	M	Brooks (1967), Rappole et al. (1983), Paulson (2005)
Brackish wading and pecking invertivores (bWPI)	Jacana spinosa	Jacanas	96.2	R	R	Jenni and Collier (1972), Howell and Webb (1995)
	Phalaropus tricolor	Phalaropes	2.5	T	M	Rappole et al. (1983), Paulson (2005)
	Plegadis falcinellus	Ibises	1.3	T	M	Rappole et al. (1983), Acosta et al. (1996), Macías et al. (2004), Taylor and Taylor (2015)
Wading invertivores (WI)	Himantopus mexicanus	Stilts	87.8	R	R	Rappole et al. (1983), Ueng et al. (2009) (congener)
	Tringa flavipes	Sandpipers	12.2	W	M	Brooks (1967), Baker and Baker (1973), Rappole et al. (1983), Weber and Haig (1997), Paulson (2005)
Estuarine probing invertivores (ePI)	Numenius phaeopus	Curlews	8.7	T	M	Rappole et al. (1983), Velásquez and Navarro (1993)
	Calidris himantopus	Sandpipers	4.3	W	M	Brooks (1967), Burton (1972), Baldassarre and Fischer (1984)
	Limnodromus griseus	Dowitchers	87.0	Ws	M	Baker and Baker (1973), Rappole et al. (1983), Weber and Haig (1997)
Estuarine generalists (eG)	Rallus crepitans	Rails	10.4	R	R	Oney (1954), Heard (1982), Rappole et al. (1983)
	Eudocimus albus	Ibises	57.0	R	R	Kushlan (1979), Rappole et al. (1983)
	Platalea ajaja	Spoonbills	32.6	R	R	Rappole et al. (1983), Swennen and Yu (2005) (congener)
Brackish generalists (bG)	Tachybaptus dominicus	Grebes	75.6	R	R	Howell and Webb (1995)
	Podilymbus podiceps	Grebes	7.8	W	M	Rappole et al. (1983)
	Nyctanassa violacea	Herons	16.7	R	R	Martínez (2004), Rappole et al. (1983)
Generalists (G)	Ixobrychus exilis	Herons	4.8	R	R	Rappole et al. (1983)
	Egretta caerulea	Herons	29.0	Rw	R	Wunderle (1981), Rappole et al. (1983), Miranda and Collazo (1997), Olmos et al. (2001)
	Butorides virescens	Herons	66.2	R	R	Rappole et al. (1983), Helm (2012)
Estuarine shallow water piscivores (eSP)	Ardea herodias	Herons	2.0	Rw	R	Rappole et al. (1983), Ramo and Busto (1993)
	Ardea alba	Herons	8.8	Rw	R	Rappole et al. (1983), Ramo and Busto (1993), Miranda and Collazo (1997)
	Egretta thula	Herons	34.6	R	R	Rappole et al. (1983), Ramo and Busto (1993), Miranda and Collazo (1997)
	Egretta tricolor	Herons	40.4	R	R	Rappole et al. (1983), Ramo and Busto (1993), Miranda and Collazo (1997)
	Egretta rufescens	Herons	10.2	R	R	Rappole et al. (1983), Ramo and Busto (1993)
	Cochlearius cochlearius	Herons	4.0	R	R	Ramo and Busto (1993), Kushlan (2009)
Estuarine deep water piscivores (eDP)	Mergus serrator	Mergansers	1.1	W	M	Rappole et al. (1983), del Hoyo et al. (2001), Bur et al. (2008)
	Phalacrocorax brasilianus	Cormorants	59.3	R	R	Rappole et al. (1983), Casaux et al. (2009)
	Pelecanus occidentalis	Pelicans	8.8	R	R	Rappole et al. (1983), Visser et al. (2005)
	Pandion haliaetus	Ospreys	13.2	Rw	R	Green et al. (1978), Rappole et al. (1983)
	Megaceryle alcyon	Kingfishers	17.6	W	M	Rappole et al. (1983), Sullivan et al. (2006)
Brackish deep water piscivores (bDP)	Anhinga anhinga	Anhingas	100.0	R	R	Owre (1967), Rappole et al. (1983)