Great egret (Ardea alba) habitat selection and foraging behavior in a temperate estuary: Comparing natural wetlands to areas with shellfish aquaculture.

ABSTRACT: Movement by animals to obtain resources and avoid predation often depends on natural cycles, and human alteration of the landscape may disrupt or enhance the utility of different habitats or resources to animals through the phases of these cycles. We studied habitat selection by GPS/accelerometer-tagged great egrets (Ardea alba) foraging in areas with shellfish aquaculture infrastructure and adjacent natural wetlands, while accounting for tide-based changes in water depth. We used integrated step selection analysis to test the prediction that egrets would express stronger selection for natural wetlands (eelgrass, tidal marsh, and other tidal wetlands) than for shellfish aquaculture areas. We also evaluated differences in foraging behavior among shellfish aquaculture areas and natural wetla

SUBMITTER: Jennings S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8719746 | biostudies-literature | 2021

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature