Details
- Autor(en) / Beteiligte
- Titel
- Comparison of wader and shorebird communities and water quality indices in restored and less-disturbed, reference salt marshes of southern California
- Ort / Verlag
- ProQuest Dissertations & Theses
- Erscheinungsjahr
- 2002
- Quelle
- ProQuest Dissertations & Theses A&I
- Beschreibungen/Notizen
- My study evaluated wader and shorebird communities and water quality indices of three restored (Batiquitos Lagoon, Talbert Marsh, Cabrillo Marsh) and three less disturbed reference salt marshes (Upper Newport Bay, Seal Beach National Wildlife Reserve/Anaheim Bay, Bolsa Chica Wetlands) in southern California to determine if the restored marshes are functionally equivalent to the reference marshes with respect to water quality and bird community support. Monthly, from February/March 2000–March 2001,I measured water quality indices (temperature, salinity and dissolved Oxygen) and conducted monthly surveys to determine bird density, species richness, diversity, and relative abundance for all of the sites. I also tested for an association between bird community indices and habitat characteristics. Water temperature and salinity did not differ significantly among the marshes. This study demonstrates that monitoring bioindicators can be a simple, inexpensive, and effective method for continual evaluation of communities in restored and natural salt marshes. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)