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Breeding Birds Associated with Seasonal Pools in the Northeastern United States
Citation:
MCKINNEY, R. A. AND P. C. Paton. Breeding Birds Associated with Seasonal Pools in the Northeastern United States. Journal of Field Ornithology. Wiley InterScience, Silver Spring, MD, 80(4):380-386, (2009).
Impact/Purpose:
This study assessed the wildlife habitat value, an essential ecosystem service, of seasonal pools in the urban northeast U.S. These geographically isolated wetlands exist more or less in isolation from other aquatic systems, and have garnered recent attention as the focus of several U.S. Supreme Court opinions questioning their jurisdiction under the Clean Water Act (CWA). Ecosystem services provided by geographically isolated wetlands have yet to be extensively assessed, particularly in urban watersheds, where wetlands may be at greater risk of becoming isolated as a result of habitat fragmentation through urbanization. We examined avian community composition at seasonal pools across an urbanization gradient in Rhode Island to test the hypotheses that seasonal pools would support a greater abundance and diversity of birds than nearby upland sites. Our results suggest that birds are preferentially using seasonal pools, particularly in more urban settings, adding to the body of evidence that supports the protection and restoration of small isolated wetlands in urban landscapes.
Description:
Seasonal pools in the northeast US are important habitats for amphibians and invertebrates, but little is known of their importance for birds. We examined avian community composition at seasonal pools across an urbanization gradient in Rhode Island to test the hypotheses that seasonal pools would support a greater abundance and diversity of birds than nearby upland sites. From mid-May through June 2008, we conducted 10-min long, 50-m radius point counts at 33 paired sets of seasonal pools and upland sites, which were located 150 m apart. Bird abundance and diversity was significantly higher at seasonal pools than upland sites, while community composition as measured by evenness was similar. Using occupancy modeling that incorporated detection probabilities, we identified 12 species whose occupancy rates were positively affected by wetland composition surrounding the point count station. We also found that mean abundance of all birds at urban pools was significantly greater than at rural pools. Our results suggest that birds are preferentially using seasonal pools, particularly in more urban settings, adding to the body of evidence that supports the protection and restoration of small isolated wetlands in urban landscapes.
