Submerged aquatic vegetation, water quality (pH, salinity, and turbidity) and waterfowl abundance data from 1991-2017 in Back Bay, Virginia

Back Bay, Virginia, has been documented as an important foraging area for waterfowl since at least the mid-1800s. Expansive submerged plant beds historically supported diverse assemblages of non-breeding waterfowl, however coastal development and other anthropogenic influences have since led to fluctuations in submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) and an associated decline in waterfowl abundance in the bay. To gain insight into the effects of environmental drivers on waterfowl foraging guilds, our study explores the effects of SAV frequency and water quality on the abundance of dabbling ducks, diving ducks, and swans and geese in Back Bay. We use 8 years of SAV, water quality, and waterfowl monitoring data collected by state and federal agencies to model the effects of salinity, turbidity, pH, and percent frequency of SAV on the relative abundance of waterfowl by foraging guild in Back Bay. The appropriateness of the data and reasonability of the preliminary results were then evaluated through semi-structured interviews with 11 local informants representing state, federal, and non-governmental organizations. Quantitative results indicated that dabbling ducks are affected differently than other guilds by water quality and percent frequency of SAV. Thematic analysis of the interview data revealed a number of potential explanations for the model results, as well as highlighted areas of uncertainty in need of further research. In a test of face validity, participants demonstrated a significant degree of belief in turbidity, salinity, and SAV as drivers of waterfowl abundance, but were not convinced by the potential effects of pH as demonstrated by the model. This mixed methods study provides insights that could potentially influence the management and conservation of non-breeding waterfowl populations by challenging the assumption that particular environmental conditions serve all foraging groups equally.

弗吉尼亚州后湾至少自19世纪中期起就被记录为水禽的重要觅食栖息地。历史上，大片沉水植物床曾支撑起多样的非繁殖期水禽群落，但此后海岸开发与其他人为活动导致沉水水生植被（submerged aquatic vegetation, SAV）出现动态波动，并伴随该海湾内水禽种群丰度的下降。为探究环境驱动因子对水禽觅食功能群的影响，本研究针对后湾内钻水鸭（dabbling ducks）、潜水鸭（diving ducks）以及天鹅与雁类的种群丰度，分析了沉水水生植被覆盖频率与水质的调控效应。本研究依托州级与联邦机构采集的8年沉水水生植被、水质及水禽监测数据，针对后湾内不同觅食功能群的水禽相对种群丰度，构建了盐度、浊度、pH值及沉水水生植被覆盖百分比的影响模型。随后，研究通过对11名来自州级、联邦及非政府组织的本地知情人开展半结构化访谈，评估了数据集的合理性与初步结果的可靠性。定量分析结果显示，钻水鸭的响应模式与其他觅食功能群存在显著差异，其受水质与沉水水生植被覆盖百分比的影响机制不同。对访谈数据的主题分析不仅为模型结果提供了多项潜在解释，同时也明确了若干亟待开展进一步研究的不确定性领域。在表面效度检验中，受访对象普遍认可浊度、盐度与沉水水生植被作为水禽种群丰度驱动因子的作用，但对模型所揭示的pH潜在影响表示存疑。本项混合方法研究通过挑战"特定环境条件对所有觅食功能群的影响均一致"的固有假设，所得结论可为非繁殖期水禽种群的管理与保护工作提供参考依据。

搜集汇总

背景与挑战

背景概述

该数据集包含1991年至2017年弗吉尼亚州Back Bay的沉水植被、水质（pH、盐度、浊度）和水禽丰度数据，用于研究环境因素对水禽觅食类群的影响。研究发现，涉水鸭与其他类群对水质和沉水植被频率的响应不同，其中浊度、盐度和沉水植被是影响水禽丰度的关键驱动因素，而pH值的作用尚不确定。