Abstract
ContextAnimal 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 methodsWe 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.ResultsA 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).ConclusionsDifferences 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.
Highlights
The movement behaviors of migratory species are fundamentally linked to changes in resource abundance and distribution
We documented movement behaviors suggesting that landscapes with limited spatiotemporal variation in water distributions are beneficial for wintering migratory shorebirds
Movements were highly correlated to changes in the 10-year average water distribution (Dwater) and structural connectivity of reliable water (Dpatch and Daggregation)
Summary
The movement behaviors of migratory species are fundamentally linked to changes in resource abundance and distribution. This relationship is simplified during the ‘‘wintering’’ portion of their annual cycle because the physiological demands and spatiotemporal constraints of breeding or migrating are not present to influence movement decisions. In landscapes that are highly modified by human activities, dynamic landscape structure, or the abundance and distribution of habitat resources, often results non-optimal movements between habitat patches that are induced by human activities (Fahrig 2007). We investigate how movement behaviors are associated with spatiotemporal variability in landscape structure to inform strategic prioritization of conservation and management actions
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