Water birds -- Habitat

The first of five chapters describe the study area and study species, including a short description
about the impetus for this research. The second chapter describes a unique hydrologic model for application
in tidal ecosystems. The second chapter represents new information on the effects of various abiotic and
biotic factors on foraging wading birds in this highly dynamic environment. The third chapter identifies
important factors affecting the abundance of foraging wading birds in intertidal environments. The fourth
chapter presents a study of the foraging habitat preferences of two wading bird species in intertidal
environments. The fifth chapter describes a conceptual model of wading bird foraging ecology and a
predictive model of foraging habitat in intertidal zones. The conceptual model captures the major drivers
and linkages between the abiotic and biotic variables thought to affect wading bird foraging abundance in
intertidal habitats. The conceptual model also identifies major knowledge gaps in our understanding of
foraging ecology of wading birds in coastal intertidal areas. The predictive model of foraging habitat is
meant to be used by resource managers, but its framework may be useful for ecological studies in general.
The final and sixth chapter provides a summary of all the major findings. Each chapter has been written so
as to be independent of the other chapters. As such, a full background, along with a discussion of the
relevance of the chapter's findings is provided for each chapter.

Anthropogenic hydrologic alterations can affect the quality of lake littoral zone
habitats for wading birds, such as the great egret (Ardea alba), snowy egret (Egretta
thula), and white ibis (Eudocimus albus). One such lake in Florida, Lake Okeechobee,
has experienced a marked decline in wading bird nesting since the 1970’s, concomitant
with changes in lake level management. It’s hypothesized that a reduction in foraging
habitat has led to the nesting decline; however, there is little quantitative evidence of this
link. A habitat suitability model was developed for Lake Okeechobee wading birds that
incorporate the spatial and temporal dynamics of environmental factors that affect
wading bird foraging and tests whether foraging habitat is linked to numbers of nests.