﻿Waterbird assemblages of inland wetlands in Chile: A meta-analysis

María L. Miranda-García,Heraldo V. Norambuena,Andrés Muñoz-Pedreros

doi:10.3897/natureconservation.45.74062

Abstract

Chile has a large number of wetlands that offer a wide variety of refuges and food to waterbird assemblages. This research hypothesises that these assemblages differ according to the structural characteristics of each type of inland wetland. The object is to identify the structure of these assemblages, evaluating their richness, alpha α diversity and some ecological characteristics, taxonomic structures and trophic guilds. We performed a meta-analysis by submitting pre-selected articles to multivariate reliability analysis. The selected articles were used to characterise the assemblages by alpha α diversity: species richness, Shannon-Wiener index, Pielou’s Evenness Index, relative abundance and taxonomic distinctiveness Δ + and beta β diversity: Bray-Curtis with analysis of similarity percentage. Diversity and evenness differed in the seven wetlands studied, among 12 to 45 species, Shannon-Wiener index H’= 0.08 to 0.94 bits and Pielou’s Evenness Index J’= 0.06 to 0.71. Four wetlands were below and three above the expected value for taxonomic distinctiveness (Δ +) (73.2 units). Two clusters were identified using the β diversity: one consisting of the High-Andean wetlands (Huasco and Negro Francisco); and the other of El Peral lagoon, the Cruces River wetlands complex and the Tranque San Rafael man-made wetland. The most remarkable dissimilarity was provided by three species (Cygnus melancoryphus,Phoenicoparrus jamesiandPhoenicoparrus andinus). Zoophagous species that eat invertebrates by the first choice are the dominant group, while in lagoon wetlands phytophages and omnivores are more evenly represented.

Highlights

Wetlands are defined by the Ramsar Convention (Ramsar 2013) as “areas of marsh, fen, peatland or water, whether natural or artificial, permanent or temporary, with water that is static or flowing, fresh, brackish or salt, including areas of marine water the depth of which at low tide does not exceed six metres”
For this study we considered waterbirds that inhabit inland wetlands sensu stricto, including species which have a marked relation with aquatic environments and excluding species which do not need aquatic ecosystems for their everyday habits even if they may be observed in these environments
To explain the alpha α diversity in the wetlands analysed, we can speculate that the differences between them are linked to the availability of habitats and to productivity: spatial heterogeneity and a dense food supply allow greater trophic specialisation, and the presence of a larger number of bird species (Pianka 2000)

Summary

Introduction

Wetlands are defined by the Ramsar Convention (Ramsar 2013) as “areas of marsh, fen, peatland or water, whether natural or artificial, permanent or temporary, with water that is static or flowing, fresh, brackish or salt, including areas of marine water the depth of which at low tide does not exceed six metres”. Due to its geographical and bio-climatic characteristics, Chile presents many of these types of wetlands (Dugan 1990; Ramírez et al 1991; Villagrán and Castro 1997; Schlatter and Schlatter 2004; Squeo et al 2006; Correa-Araneda et al 2011; Möller and Muñoz-Pedreros 2014; Cepeda-Pizarro et al 2016). In some cases they combine spatially to form wetland complexes (e.g. with seasonally inundated areas, bogs, riverbeds and/or lagoons)

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Conclusion