Do tropical cyclones shape shorebird habitat patterns? Biogeoclimatology of snowy plovers in Florida.

ABSTRACT:

Background

The Gulf coastal ecosystems in Florida are foci of the highest species richness of imperiled shoreline dependent birds in the USA. However environmental processes that affect their macroecological patterns, like occupancy and abundance, are not well unraveled. In Florida the Snowy Plover (Charadrius alexandrinus nivosus) is resident along northern and western white sandy estuarine/ocean beaches and is considered a state-threatened species.

Methodology/principal findings

Here we show that favorable nesting areas along the Florida Gulf coastline are located in regions impacted relatively more frequently by tropical cyclones. The odds of Snowy Plover nesting in these areas during the spring following a tropical cyclone impact are seven times higher compared to the od

SUBMITTER: Convertino M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3020223 | biostudies-literature | 2011 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature