A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal

Species diversity, abundance and brood numbers of breeding waterbirds in relation to habitat properties in an agricultural watershed




AuthorsCéline Arzel, Mia Rönkä, Harri Tolvanen, Nina Aarras, Matti Kamppinen, Petteri Vihervaara

Publication year2015

JournalAnnales Zoologici Fennici

Volume52

Issue1-2

First page 17

Last page32

Number of pages16

ISSN0003-455X

eISSN1797-2450

DOIhttps://doi.org/10.5735/086.052.0202(external)


Abstract

Land use changes and the resulting habitat degradation have been regarded as the most important known causes of waterfowl population declines. We assess the habitat requirements of waterbirds, including waterfowl, in a hemi-boreal, agricultural watershed in southern Finland. We relate the birds’ species diversity, abundance and brood numbers on ten lakes to environmental variables, including land use characteristics as well as topographic and local biotic features. Both species diversity and pair numbers responded to land use characteristics, such as the area of agricultural land surrounding the lakes. Our results suggest that land use may reflect habitat quality, possibly in terms of resource availability and predation risk. The pair numbers of waterbirds grew along with the availability of invertebrates, an important food resource. The abundance of gulls affected positively the diversity, abundance and reproductive success of waterfowl in our study area, probably because they provided shelter from predators.




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