Lecture 18Case Studies IIApril 6, 2010

Biological and Physical Importance

• Diversity• Fisheries and leisure• Protection from storms• Endemic spp.

– Marshbirds

www.sunherald.com

Threats to the Gulf

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

Texas Louisiana Alabama Florida

37%

26% 26%

32%

Saltm

arsh

con

vert

ed to

ope

n w

ater

Pred

icte

d be

twee

n 20

00 -

2060

*Adapted from McFadden et al. 2007

Life history characteristics

Thin as a rail

The Birds of North America

Coloration

Other attributes

Purpose and Goals of Study

OCCUPANCY OF SELECT MARSH BIRDS WITHIN

TIDAL MARSHES OF THE NORTHERN GULF OF MEXICO:

CURRENT ESTIMATES AND PROJECTED CHANGE

Projections and Anticipations Study rationale

Loss of area

Loss of edge

Loss of interspersion

Increased saline incursionwww.flood.firetree.net

Current 1 m sea-level rise

Marsh Bird Surveys: Methods

AL: 2004 -108 survey points

MS: 2005 -119 survey points

2 surveys per point

Species detected at < 100m

Least Bittern, Seaside Sparrow, Common Moorhen, Purple Gallinule, and Clapper Rail

Landscape Features* Used GIS to Calculate % of landscape developed within

1000m of survey points

1000m

GIS for Landscape Features

INTERSPERSION

EDGE

AREA

JUNCUS

Clapper Rail Occupancy

Naïve estimate 71% 64 – 78%

Covariate Mean 95% CI Direction

INTERSPERSION 2.48 0.72 – 4.24 +JUNCUS 8.98 3.86 – 14.1 +

INTERSPERSION JUNCUS

Clapper Rail Response

What could this mean and why

Study caveats number of surveys area covered non-linear responses, etc.

VARIATION IN THE NESTING HABITS OF CLAPPER RAILS IN RESPONSE TO TIDAL MARSH

HABITAT

0 2 41

Kilometers

0 2 41

Kilometers

Focal Estuaries

Pascagoula Marsh Coastal Preserve

Grand Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve

Habitat DifferencesPascagoula

0 2 41

Kilometers

4500 ha

Hydrology – river-dominated

Habitats: Juncus roemerianus

Spartina alterniflora

Oligo to mesohaline (salinity range)

Unique (Odum, Wilson, Elueterius)

Grand Bay

0 2 41

Kilometers

7000 ha

Hydrology – marine-dominated

Habitats: Juncus roemerianus

Spartina alterniflora

Meso to polyhaline (salinity range)

Unique (Odum, Wilson)

Clapper Rail Nest Success

• Factors affecting nest success– Flooding / predation

• Why study nest success

• Why important – future trends

Nest data collection

• Nest location• Nest data collection• Veg data• Nest success

Nests and Habitat

• Monitored 76 nests (54 at Pascagoula, 22 Grand Bay)

• Nest success loss was low (10 at Pascagoula, 5 at Grand Bay)

0

0.2

0.4

0.6

0.8

Pascagoula Grand BayPerc

ent n

est l

oss

to fl

oodi

ng

Nests and HabitatV

eget

atio

n he

ight

(cm

)

0

40

80

120

160Clapper Rail nests

Control points

0

400

800

1200

1600

Pascagoula Grand Bay

Stem

den

sity

(m2 )

Vegetation height

Stem density

Nest success

Grand Bay PascagoulaNest survival 0.98, 0.96 to 0.99 0.99, 0.98 to 1.00

Effect of nest initiation date 0.0004, -0.01 to 0.01 0.01, 0.05 x 102 to 0.02

CLAPPER RAIL DIET COMPOSITION AND EGG

RESOURCES VARY ACROSS TWO HYDROLOGICALLY DYNAMIC

ESTUARINE ECOSYSTEMS

Clapper Rail Diet

Baises in gut content analysis

Feeding studies

Assimilation relationships

Why is it important to study diet

Stable Isotopes and Estuaries

Odum, W.E. 1988. Ann. Rev. Ecol. Syst. 19:147-176.

Juncus: C3Spartina: C4

Distinct Carbon Isotopic Signature

Spartina Juncus

-14 ‰ -26 ‰

Isotopes and Tissues

pectoral muscle

Reflects diet over several weeks to months

liver

Reflects diet over several hours to days

egg yolk

Reflects diet over several hours to days

Niche Breadth and Diet

13C (‰)

15 N

(‰)

Source A Source B

Source C

Population A

Population B

8

6

4

2

-27 -25 -23 -21 -19

CollectionPascagoula Grand Bay

Species / Tissue n n

Clapper Rail

Egg yolk 28 8

Liver 5 6

Pectoral muscle 5 8

Spartina sp. 18 3

J. roemerianus 23 7

olive nerite 22 0

marsh periwinkle 8 8

ribbed mussel 2 8

common rangia 14 1

Tettigoniids (grasshoppers) 10 3

blue crab 3 3

gulf fiddler crab 14 8

Estuarine Differences: Hydrology, Food web differences

0

25

50

75

100

0

25

50

75

100

0

25

50

75

100

Muscle

Liver

Egg yolk

Pascagoula

Grand Bay

Trophic Niche Breadth

Egg Yolk Lipids and Fiddler Crabs

0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35

0.2

0.3

0.4

0.5

0.6

0.7

0.8

Fiddler crab burrows/0.5 m2

Prop

ortio

n of

lipi

ds in

egg

yol

ks

Clapper Rails and Fiddler Crabs

0.3

0.4

0.5

0.6

0.7

Grand Bay Pasc. Grand Bay Pasc. Grand Bay Pasc.2006 2007 2008

Estuary/year

010

2030

4050

Fiddler Crab Life History

Rain and Distributions

Projected Precipitation Change

Predicted Habitat Change

www.flood.firetree.net

Current 1 m sea-level rise

THE INFLUENCE THE INFLUENCE OF OF

ACID RAIN ON THE ACID RAIN ON THE PRODUCTIVITY OF PRODUCTIVITY OF PURPLE MARTINS: PURPLE MARTINS:

A CONTINENT-WIDE, MULTI-YEAR A CONTINENT-WIDE, MULTI-YEAR

PERSPECTIVEPERSPECTIVE

Purple Martin

OutlineOutline• Acid Rain and Songbirds • Purple Martins

Methods

• Project Martinwatch • Precipitate Components • Soil pH

Results

• Acid Rain and Purple Martins

Acid RainAcid Rain

Transportation 7%

Fuel Combustion 3%

Electrical Utilities 25%

Transportation 53%

Other 5%

Industrial Sources 12%

Fuel Combustion 5%

Other 8%

Electrical Utilities 67%

Industrial Sources 15%

SOSO22 Source USA 1998 Source USA 1998

NONO33 Source USA 1998 Source USA 1998

Abstracted from Environment Canada www. ec.gc.ca/acidrain/acidfact.html

Acid Rain and SongbirdsAcid Rain and Songbirds

www.courses.washington.edu/vertebra/453/photos/sk

Environmental CalciumEnvironmental Calcium

M. Gillilland www.msu.edu/~gillilla/snailsofmich.html

Acid Rain and Wood ThrushAcid Rain and Wood Thrush

Hames et al. 2002

Purple MartinPurple Martin

Project MartinwatchProject Martinwatch

Locations for This StudyLocations for This Study

www.geographynetwork.comwww.geographynetwork.com

National Atmospheric Deposition National Atmospheric Deposition ProgramProgram

www. nadp.sws.uiuc.edu

Soil pHSoil pH

WWW.STATSGO.COM

Age EffectsAge Effects

Adult Age EffectsAdult Age Effects

4.2

4.6

5

5.4

Bro

od S

ize

Bro

od S

ize

Male ASYMale ASY

Female ASYFemale ASY

Male ASYMale ASY

Female SYFemale SY

Male SYMale SY

Female ASYFemale ASY

Male SYMale SY

Female SYFemale SY

House TypeHouse Type

4

4.2

4.4

4.6

4.8

5

5.2

Wooden House

Plastic Gourd

Natural Gourd

Metal House

Effect of House TypeEffect of House TypeC

lutc

h or

Bro

od S

ize

Clu

tch

or B

rood

Siz

e EggsEggs

HatchedHatched

FledgedFledged

Supplementary CalciumSupplementary Calcium

Effects on Eggs and HatchlingsEffects on Eggs and Hatchlings

  EffectEffect SESE

SOSO44 -0.14-0.14 0.0760.076

EggsEggs

HatchedHatched

   EffectEffect SESESOSO44 -0.067-0.067 0.0380.038

~ Loss of 0.7 eggs / nest

Influence of Acid RainInfluence of Acid Rain

HabitatHabitat

What Does This Mean?What Does This Mean?

Area of eastern Canada expected to receive SO4 deposition above critical loads (kg ha-1y-1) in 2010, without further controls beyond provisions in the 1991 Canada-

U.S. Air Quality Agreement.

Area of eastern Canada expected to receive SO4 deposition above critical loads (kg ha-1y-1) with

targeted emission reductions of 50% in Ontario, 50% in Quebec, 30% in New Brunswick, 25% in

Nova Scotia and 60% in the United States