Swan grazing on seagrass: Abundance but not grazing pressure varies over an annual cycle in a temperate estuary

Marine and Freshwater Research

Volumn 65, Issue 8, 2014, Pages 738-749

  Choney, Gary E ^a   McMahon, Kathryn ^a   Lavery, Paul S ^a   Collier, Neil ^a  

^a EDITH COWAN UNIVERSITY   (Australia)

Author keywords

black swan (Cygnus atratus); Halophila ovalis; Lower Swan River estuary; Western Australia

Indexed keywords

EID: 84905166171     PISSN: 13231650     EISSN: None     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1071/MF13126     Document Type: Article

References (45)

1. Altmann, J. (1974). Observational study of behaviour: sampling methods. Behaviour 49, 227-266. doi:10.1163/156853974X00534
2. Baldwin, J. R., and Lovvorn, J. R. (1994). Expansion of seagrass habitat by the exotic Zostera japonica, and its use by dabbling ducks and brant in Boundary Bay, British Columbia. Marine Ecology Progress Series 103, 119-127. doi:10.3354/MEPS103119
3. Bates, D., Maechler, M., Bolker, B., and Walker, S. [Computer software] (2013). 'lme4: Linear Mixed-effects Models using Eigen and S4. R Package Version 0.99999911-5.' Available at http://lme4.r-forge. r-project.org/[verified October 2013].
4. Bolker, B. M., and R Development Core Team (2013). 'bbmle: Tools for General Maximum Likelihood Estimation. R Package Version 1.0.13.' Available at http://CRAN.R-project.org/package=bbmle [verified October 2013].
5. Braithwaite, L. W. (1982). Ecological studies of the black swan IV.* The timing and success of breeding on two nearby lakes on the Southern Tablelands of New South Wales. Australian Wildlife Research 9, 261-275. doi:10.1071/WR9820261
6. Brearley, A. (2005) 'Swanland, Estuaries and Coastal Lagoons of South-Western Australia.' (UWA Press: Perth.)
7. Bunn, S. E., and Arthington, A. H. (2002). Basic principles and ecological consequences of altered flow regimes for aquatic biodiversity. Environmental Management 30, 492-507. doi:10.1007/S00267-002-2737-0
8. Burnham, K. P., and Anderson, D. R. (2002). 'Model Selection and Multimodel Inference. A Practical Information-theoretic Approach.' 2nd edn. (Springer-Verlag: New York.)
9. Chambers, L. E., and Loyn, R. H. (2006). The influence of climate variability on numbers of three waterbird species in Western Port, Victoria, 1973-2002. International Journal of Biometeorology 50, 292-304. doi:10.1007/S00484-005-0019-2
10. Clarke, K., and Gorley, R. (2006). 'PRIMER v6: User Manual/Tutorial.' (PRIMER-E: Plymouth, UK.)
11. Congdon, R. A., and McComb, A. J. (1981). The vegetation of the Blackwood River Estuary, south-west Australia. Journal of Ecology 69, 1-16. doi:10.2307/2259812
12. Creed, K. E., and Bailey, M. (2009). Continuing decline in wader populations at Pelican Point, Western Australia, since 1971. Stilt 56, 10-14.
13. Dennison, W. C. (1990). Rhizome/root production. In 'Seagrass Research Methods'. (Eds R. C. Phillips and C. P. McRoy.) pp. 81-82. (UNESCO: Paris.)
14. Department of Conservation and Land Management, 1999. 'Swan Estuary Marine Park and Adjacent Nature Reserves, Management Plan 1999-2009.' (CALM: Perth.)
15. Dingle, H. (2008). Bird migration in the southern hemisphere: a review comparing continents. Emu 108, 341-359. doi:10.1071/MU08010
16. Dos Santos, V. M., Matheson, F. E., Pilditch, C. A., and Elger, A. (2012). Is black swan grazing a threat to seagrass? Indications from an observational study in New Zealand. Aquatic Botany 100, 41-50. doi:10.1016/J.AQUABOT.2012.03.009
17. Eklöf, J. S., McMahon, K., and Lavry, P. S. 2009. Effects of multiple disturbances in seagrass meadows: shading decreases resilience to grazing. Marine and Freshwater Research 60: 1317-1327. doi:10.1071/MF09008.
18. Fournier, D. A., Skaug, H. J., Ancheta, J., Ianelli, J., Magnusson, A., Maunder, M., Nielsen, A., and Sibert, J. (2012). AD Model Builder: using automatic differentiation for statistical inference of highly parameterized complex nonlinear models. Optimisation Methods and Software 27, 233-249. doi:10.1080/10556788.2011.597854
19. Gyimesi, A., de Vries, P. P., de Boer, T., and Nolet, B. A. (2011). Reduced tuber banks of fennel pondweed due to summer grazing by waterfowl. Aquatic Botany 94, 24-28. doi:10.1016/J.AQUABOT.2010.10.002
20. Hamilton, A. J., Taylor, I. R., and Hepworth, H. (2002). Activity budgets of waterfowl (Anatidae) on a waste-stabilisation pond. Emu 102, 171-179. doi:10.1071/MU01050
21. Hay, J. G. (1906). The visit of Mr Charles Fraser, colonial botanist of New South Wales, with Captain Stirling, in HMS Success, to the Swan River in 1827, with his report on the botany, soil, and capabilities of the locality. Journal of the Western Australian Historical Society 2, 16-35.
22. Hillman, K., McComb, A. J., and Walker, D. I. (1995). The distribution, biomass and primary production of the seagrass Halophila ovalis in the Swan/Canning Estuary, Western Australia. Aquatic Botany 51, 1-54. doi:10.1016/0304-3770(95)00466-D
23. Jacobs, R. P. W. M., Den Hartog, C., Braster, B. F., and Carriere, F. C. (1981). Grazing of the seagrass Zostera noltii by birds at Terschelling (Dutch Wadden Sea). Aquatic Botany 10, 241-259. doi:10.1016/0304-3770(81)90026-7
24. Kim, G. Y., Kim, J. Y., Ganf, G. G., Lee, C. W., and Joo, G. J. (2013). Impact of over-wintering waterfowl on tuberous bulrush (Bolboschoenus planiculmis) in tidal flats. Aquatic Botany 107, 17-22. doi:10.1016/J.AQUABOT. 2013.01.004
25. Kingsford, R. T., and Norman, F. I. (2002). Australian waterbirds-products of the continent's ecology. Emu 102, 47-69. doi:10.1071/MU01030
26. Kirkman, H., and Kirkman, J. (2000). Long-term seagrass meadow monitoring near Perth, Western Australia. Aquatic Botany 67, 319-332. doi:10.1016/S0304- 3770(00)00097-8
27. Ma, Z., Cai, Y., Li, B., and Chen, J. (2010). Managing wetland habitats for waterbirds: an international perspective. Wetlands 30, 15-27. doi:10.1007/S13157-009-0001-6
28. Marchant, S., and Higgins, P. J. (1990). 'Handbook of Australian, NewZealand andAntarctic Birds.' (OxfordUniversity Press:Melbourne.)
29. McKinney, R. A., McWilliams, S. R., and Charpentier, M. A. (2006). Waterfowl-habitat associations during winter in an urban North Atlantic estuary. Biological Conservation 132, 239-249. doi:10.1016/J.BIOCON. 2006.04.002
30. Mitchell, S. F., and Wass, R. T. (1996). Grazing by black swans (Cygnus atratus Latham), physical factors, and the growth and loss of aquatic vegetation in a shallow lake. Aquatic Botany 55, 205-215. doi:10.1016/S0304-3770(96)01077- 7
31. Nebel, S., Porter, J. L., and Kingsford, R. T. (2008). Long-term trends of shorebird populations in eastern Australia and impacts of freshwater extraction. Biological Conservation 141, 971-980. doi:10.1016/J.BIOCON.2008.01. 017
32. Nienhuis, P. H., and Groenendijk, A. M. (1986). Consumption of eelgrass (Zostera marina) by birds and invertebrates: an annual budget. Marine Ecology Progress Series 29, 29-35. doi:10.3354/MEPS029029
33. O'Connell, T. J., Jackson, L. E., and Brooks, R. P. (2000). Bird guilds as indicators of ecological condition in the central Appalacchians. Ecological Applications 10, 1706-1721. doi:10.1890/1051-0761(2000)010 [1706:BGAIOE]2.0.CO;2
34. Paracuellos, M., and Telleria, J. L. (2004). Factors affecting the distribution of a waterbird community: the role of habitat configuration and bird abundance. Waterbirds: The International Journal of Waterbird Biology 27, 446-453. doi:10.1675/1524-4695(2004)027 [0446:FATDOA]2.0.CO;2
35. Quinn, G. P., and Keough, M. J. (2002). 'Experimental Design and Data Analysis for Biologists.' (Cambridge University Press: Melbourne.)
36. R Core Team (2013). 'R: a Language and Environment for Statistical Computing.' (R Foundation for Statistical Computing: Vienna.) Available at http://www.R-project.org/[verified October 2013].
37. Roshier, D. A., Robertson, A., and Kingsford, R. T. (2009). 'The Availability of Wetland Habitat for Waterbirds in Arid Australia.' (Johnstone Centre, School of Science and Technology, Charles Sturt University: Wagga Wagga, NSW.)
38. Skaug, H., Fournier, D., Nielsen, A., Magnusson, A., and Bolker, B. [Computer softare]. (2013). 'Generalized Linear Mixed Models using AD Model Builder. R Package Version 0.7.7.
39. Smith, A. N., Vernes, K. A., and Ford, H. A. (2012). Grazing effects of black swans Cygnus atratus (Latham) on a seasonally flooded coastal wetland of eastern Australia. Hydrobiologia 697, 45-57. doi:10.1007/S10750-012-1169-1.
40. Sodhi, N. S.,Bickford, D.,Diesmos,A.C., Lee,T. M.,Koh,L.P.,Brook,B.W., Sekercioglu, C. H., and Bradshaw, C. J. A. (2008). Measuring the meltdown: drivers of global amphibian extinction and decline. PLoS ONE 3, e1636.
41. Valentine, J. F., and Duffy, J. E. (2006). The central role of grazing in seagrass ecology. In 'Seagrasses: Biology, Ecology and Conservation'. (Eds A. W. D. Larkum, R. J. Orth and C. M. Duarte.) pp. 463-501. (Springer: New York.)
42. Van den Bergh, E., Ysebaret, T., and Meire, P. (2005). Water bird communities in the Lower Zeeschelde: long-term changes near an expanding harbour. Hydrobiologia 540, 237-258. doi:10.1007/S10750-004-7147-2
43. Wen, L., Rogers, K., Saintilan, N., and Ling, J. (2011). The influences of climate and hydrology on population dynamics of waterbirds in the lower Murrumbidgee River floodplains in southeast Australia: implications for environmental water management. Ecological Modelling 222, 154-163. doi:10.1016/J.ECOLMODEL.2010.09.016
44. Williams, M. (1979). Status and management of black swans Cygnus atratus, Latham at Ellesmere since the 'Wahine' storm, April, 1968. New Zealand Journal of Ecology 2, 34-41.
45. Wood, K. A., Stillman, K. A., Coombs, T., Mcdonald, C., Daunt, F., and Ohare, T. (2013). The role of season and social grouping on habitat use by mute swans (Cygnus olor) in a lowland river catchment. Bird Study 60, 229-237. doi:10.1080/00063657.2013.776003