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Dietary flexibility in three representative waterbirds across salinity and depth gradients in salt ponds of San Francisco Bay

January 1, 2009

Salt evaporation ponds have existed in San Francisco Bay, California, for more than a century. In the past decade, most of the salt ponds have been retired from production and purchased for resource conservation with a focus on tidal marsh restoration. However, large numbers of waterbirds are found in salt ponds, especially during migration and wintering periods. The value of these hypersaline wetlands for waterbirds is not well understood, including how different avian foraging guilds use invertebrate prey resources at different salinities and depths. The aim of this study was to investigate the dietary flexibility of waterbirds by examining the population number and diet of three feeding guilds across a salinity and depth gradient in former salt ponds of the Napa-Sonoma Marshes. Although total invertebrate biomass and species richness were greater in low than high salinity salt ponds, waterbirds fed in ponds that ranged from low (20 g l−1) to very high salinities (250 g l−1). American avocets (surface sweeper) foraged in shallow areas at pond edges and consumed a wide range of prey types (8) including seeds at low salinity, but preferred brine flies at mid salinity (40–80 g l−1). Western sandpipers (prober) focused on exposed edges and shoal habitats and consumed only a few prey types (2–4) at both low and mid salinities. Suitable depths for foraging were greatest for ruddy ducks (diving benthivore) that consumed a wide variety of invertebrate taxa (5) at low salinity, but focused on fewer prey (3) at mid salinity. We found few brine shrimp, common in higher salinity waters, in the digestive tracts of any of these species. Dietary flexibility allows different guilds to use ponds across a range of salinities, but their foraging extent is limited by available water depths.

Publication Year 2009
Title Dietary flexibility in three representative waterbirds across salinity and depth gradients in salt ponds of San Francisco Bay
DOI 10.1007/s10750-009-9743-7
Authors John Y. Takekawa, A.K. Miles, D. C. Tsao-Melcer, D. H. Schoellhamer, S. Fregien, N.D. Athearn
Publication Type Article
Publication Subtype Journal Article
Series Title Hydrobiologia
Index ID 70034976
Record Source USGS Publications Warehouse
USGS Organization California Water Science Center