Wetland Birds
Wetland birds as Indicators of Biological Integrity.
A variety of measures have been used to document correlations between ecosystem degradation and human disturbance. Within estuaries, for example, water quality indicators include:
- nutrient levels
- water clarity/light penetration
- levels of toxic chemicals
- oxygen level
In some cases, indicator species have been used to indicate impacts of pollution and other stressors, which may include either sensitive or tolerant species.
Indices of biological integrity (or IBIs) are used to characterize the living conditions of a particular site. Many IBIs have been developed for aquatic ecosystems using fish and species of invertebrates. However, relatively little attention has been directed toward the use of IBIs in terrestrial ecosystems.
Birds are ideal for use as an IBI since their presence or absence tends to represent conditions pertaining to the proper functioning of an ecosystem. Furthermore, this relationship is often associated with levels of human disturbance.
In addition to providing an overall signal of ecosystem health, birds are also ideal because they are relatively easy to sample and their natural history is well described relative to other taxonomic groups in wetland ecosystems.
In this research we used life history traits of wetland birds to provide an IBI for portions of the Chesapeake Bay estuarine ecosystem. Presently, we are combining wetland bird data with data collected on other taxonomic groups in estuarine habitats (for example: grass, shrimp, fish) and indices of environmental condition (such as: water quality, marsh habitat integrity, invasive species) to develop and test integrative IBI metrics along the known human disturbance gradient.
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