Data for: Fine‐scale environmental heterogeneity and conservation management: Beach‐cast wrack creates microhabitats for thermoregulation in shorebirds

Conservation management to protect coastal ecosystems sometimes overlooks site-specific fine-scale heterogeneity. For example, while habitat loss is a known key driver of population declines in many shorebirds, these birds are also dependent on high-quality habitats to maximise energy stores. Here we describe the microhabitats provided by beach-cast wrack (washed up macroalgae and seagrasses), a resource threatened by harvesting and beach cleaning, and how shorebirds utilise these.
We measured the temperature and absolute humidity at 10 cm above three substrates (fresh wrack, aged wrack, sand) and then related bird behaviour (roosting versus foraging) to climatic and environmental data.
Freshly beach-cast wrack mostly provided cooler and less humid habitats, but warmer temperatures than aged wrack or sand in the early mornings. Microtopography created by shelter from prevailing winds and wrack depth modified these general trends.
Generally, temperature predicted where shorebirds overall..., Microclimate Data:

A total of 24 stainless steel iButton Hygrochron temperature/humidity loggers (Maxim Integrated Products Inc.) were calibrated in an ice bath and programmed to record temperature (°C) and relative humidity (%) measurements at 10-minute intervals. Loggers were mounted to the ceiling of pre-fabricated white practice golf balls (Maxfli) to allow ventilation of the logger and to prevent impacts from direct solar radiation. The top quarter of the golf ball was covered with white duct tape to prevent sunrays from reaching the loggers and to mimic a Stevenson screen on a microscale. Because we were interested in the temperatures experienced by shorebirds and to measure air temperature rather than surface temperature, the loggers were suspended 10 cm above the substrate surface by attaching them to bamboo stakes. Loggers were randomly placed in two bands of up to twelve sensors along the sandy beach over a distance of about 150 m on three substrates (sand, fresh wrack and ..., Note that the time is that in South Australia and that time switched from daylight saving time to 'regular' time on Sunday, April 3, 3:00 am, 2016.