Dynamic surface water distributions influence wetland connectivity within a highly modified interior landscape

• Published in: Landscape ecology Vol. 33; no. 5; pp. 829 - 844
• Main Authors: Barbaree, Blake A., Reiter, Matthew E., Hickey, Catherine M., Elliott, Nathan K., Schaffer-Smith, Danica, Reynolds, Mark D., Page, Gary W.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Dordrecht Springer Netherlands 01.05.2018; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Agricultural land; Agricultural management; Aquatic birds; Availability; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Ecology; Environmental Management; Flood management; Habitat availability; Habitats; Landscape; Landscape architecture; Landscape Ecology; Landscape/Regional and Urban Planning; Life Sciences; Movements; Nature Conservation; Overwintering; Overwintering behavior; Research Article; Surface water; Sustainable Development; Tracking; Water distribution; Water engineering; Wetlands; Central Valley; Movement ecology; Landscape structure; Radio telemetry; Calidris alpina; Wetland connectivity; Landsat; Water distribution
• ISSN: 0921-2973; 1572-9761
• DOI: 10.1007/s10980-018-0638-8

Context Animal movements are inherently linked to landscape structure. Understanding this relationship for highly-mobile species requires documenting their responses to spatiotemporal variability of resources. To that end, characterizing movement behaviors and resource distributions using the principles of habitat connectivity facilitates coordinated landscape planning efforts within highly modified landscapes. Objectives and methods We tracked locations and movements for 156 dunlin ( Calidris alpina ) and 109 long-billed dowitchers ( Limnodromus scolopaceus ) overwintering in two regions with distinct water distributions in California’s Central Valley. We then compared residency rates, functional connectivity to other regions, and associations between movement distances and average habitat availability and structural connectivity of habitat at multiple temporal and spatial scales. Results A widespread yet highly variable regional water distribution was associated with lower residency rates and substantially higher functional connectivity to nearby regions when compared to a stable regional water distribution characterized by a large, contiguous wetland complex. Longer movements were associated with decreasing average availability and spatial aggregation of surface water. Movement models suggested shorebirds primarily responded to habitat availability at smaller scales (< 10 km) and structural connectivity at larger scales (≥ 10 km). Conclusions Differences in movement behaviors suggested that wintering shorebirds will avoid long distance movements and remain resident within a wetland region when possible. Conservation and management efforts should reliably flood individual wetlands and agricultural lands from November to April and prioritize locations that maximize structural wetland connectivity and limit spatiotemporal variability of surface water throughout the Central Valley.