How do macrobenthic resources concentrate foraging waders in large megatidal sandflats?
| Type | Article | ||||||||||||
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| Date | 2016-09 | ||||||||||||
| Language | English | ||||||||||||
| Author(s) | Ponsero Alain1, Sturbois Anthony1, 2, Desroy Nicolas 3, Le Mao Patrick3, Jones Auriane3, Fournier Jerome4, 5 |
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| Affiliation(s) | 1 : Reserve Nat Baie St Brieuc, Site Etoile, F-22120 Hillion, France. 2 : VivArmor Nat, 10 Blvd Sevigne, F-22000 St Brieuc, France. 3 : IFREMER, Lab Environm & Ressources Bretagne Nord, 38 Rue Port Blanc,BP 80108, F-35801 Dinard, France. 4 : CNRS, UMR BOREA 7208, 61 Rue Buffon, F-75231 Paris 05, France. 5 : MNHN, Stn Biol Marine, BP 225, F-29182 Concarneau, France. |
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| Source | Estuarine Coastal And Shelf Science (0272-7714) (Academic Press Ltd- Elsevier Science Ltd), 2016-09 , Vol. 178 , P. 120-128 | ||||||||||||
| DOI | 10.1016/j.ecss.2016.05.023 | ||||||||||||
| WOS© Times Cited | 8 | ||||||||||||
| Keyword(s) | Waders, Benthos, Foraging behavior, Sandflat, Megatidal environment | ||||||||||||
| Abstract | The relationship between foraging shorebirds, macrobenthos and sedimentary parameters has been widely studied across Western Europe. Megatidal areas have large zones uncovered when the water retreats. Consequently, in such cases, the tide also influences foraging activities. This paper examines the use of an intertidal space by waders to define how macrobenthic resource concentrates foraging activity of birds in a large megatidal sandflat. This approach combines accurate spatial distribution of waders (Oystercatcher, Eurasian curlew, Bar-tailed Godwit and Redknot) according to their activity with ecological/biological parameters. A differential exploitation of the flat is clearly shown, with macrobenthic biomass appearing as one of the main explanatory factor for the four species considered on the western part of the bay and altitude (shore elevation) in the eastern part. The novelty of this study relates to the large area, also presumed to be a functional unit, while considering at the same time the singularities of the different parts of the flat. This multi-scale approach identifies important factors influencing the differential distribution patterns observed. The different selected parameters present an important variability in their contribution, underlining the complexity of explaining the distribution of foraging birds. Consequently, the study of such complex phenomena needs to consider additional variables to improve the relevance of explanatory models. | ||||||||||||
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