Comparing Ecological Functions of Natural and Created Wetlands for Shorebirds in Texas

Abstract

-We compared shorebird behavior, abundance and prey availability between natural and created wetlands along the Gulf of Mexico, Texas, USA. Locations included Aransas National Wildlife Refuge, the Nueces River Delta, and Mustang Island. Few significant differences existed in invertebrate density or biomass between sites; greater differences were found seasonally than between natural and created sites. Non-metric multidimensional scaling of avian abundance separated Mustang Island from Nueces Delta. Cluster analysis of behavior of Black-bellied Plover (Pluvialis squatarola), Long-billed Curlew (Numenius americanus), peeps (Calidris minutilla, C. pusilla), and Willet (Catoptrophorus semipalmatus), showed no clear differences in their behavior on natural and created sites. Mustang Island sites were more similar to each other than to Nueces Delta. All created sites had natural hydrology and tidal circulation, which appear to facilitate invertebrate and avian recruitment. Received 12 February 2001, accepted 12 August 2001.