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Living on the Edge: Multi-Scale Analyses of Bird Habitat Use in Coastal Marshes of Barataria Basin, Louisiana, USA

  • Applied Wetland Science
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Abstract

Coastal marsh loss, combined with expected sea-level rise, will cause inundation and extensive shifts to vegetation and salinity regimes that may affect bird species dependent on coastal ecosystems worldwide. Within coastal-marsh habitats, birds provide key targets for coastal management goals. However, limited information on bird-habitat relationships within coastal marshes inhibits the development of restoration projects targeted to bird species. We surveyed birds bi-monthly within Barataria Basin, LA from July 2014 to December 2015 to compare their use between fresh and saline coastal marshes. Additionally, we examined habitat use at finer spatial scales to assess preference for marsh-edge microhabitats. Edge habitat supported 1.8 times more bird species (guild) richness than emergent and open-water habitat. We concluded that future modelling efforts would be improved if models incorporate edge effects for birds in coastal marshes that extend 20 m from emergent vegetation into open water, with a reduced effect if marsh types convert from fresh to saline. Our data will be useful to simulate the effects of changes in marsh type, area, and edge on habitat quality for birds in coastal Louisiana and will inform habitat restoration and management decisions aimed at optimizing bird use.

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Acknowledgments

We thank S. Piazza, B. Bechnel, K. DeMarco, E. Hillman, L. Sullivan, C. Hall, and C. Flucke for assistance with data collection and logistics. R. Villani and two anonymous reviewers provided valuable comments on a previous version of this manuscript. Additionally, we thank K. Ringelman and S. King for useful comments and recommendations throughout this study. Funding to support this work came from the Gulf Coast Prairie Landscape Conservation Cooperative, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Region 2 and Region 4 (SSP funding). Data published in Patton (2016). Any use of trade, firm, or product names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. U.S. Geological Survey, Wetlands and Aquatic Research Center, Louisiana State University, c/o Livestock Show Office, Parker Coliseum, Baton Rouge, LA, 70803, USA

    Brett A. Patton

  2. Louisiana State University, 327 Renewable Natural Resources, Baton Rouge, LA, 70803, USA

    John A. Nyman

  3. U.S. Geological Survey, Louisiana Fish and Wildlife Cooperative Research Unit, School of Renewable Natural Resources, Louisiana State University Agricultural Center, 124A Renewable Natural Resources, Baton Rouge, LA, 70803, USA

    Megan K. Lapeyre

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Correspondence to Brett A. Patton.

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Patton, B.A., Nyman, J.A. & Lapeyre, M.K. Living on the Edge: Multi-Scale Analyses of Bird Habitat Use in Coastal Marshes of Barataria Basin, Louisiana, USA. Wetlands 40, 2041–2054 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13157-020-01324-2

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