Assessing the value of novel habitats to snail kites through foraging behavior and nest survival

Novel ecosystems arise for a variety of reasons, most notably from the introduction of non-native species. To be successful, conservation strategies must both focus on traditional habitats and acknowledge the interplay between novel habitats and species of conservation interest. In the United States, the snail kite (Rostrhamus sociabilis plumbeus) is a federally endangered species whose population in Florida has undergone declines within the past decade. While studying the foraging behavior of breeding snail kites on Lake Tohopekaliga (Lake Toho), we discovered the unexpected use of disturbed ephemeral wetlands adjacent to the lake. These wetlands represent a novel habitat for kites in that they would not have been viable foraging areas prior to the introduction of the exotic island apple snail (Pomacea maculata). The novel wetland areas were highly attractive to kites, likely due to the high snail capture rates in such areas. The survival of kite nests occurring within the novel areas ...

新型生态系统（novel ecosystems）的形成原因多种多样，其中以外来物种（non-native species）的引入最为显著。行之有效的保护策略（conservation strategies）既要聚焦传统栖息地（traditional habitats），也需正视新型栖息地（novel habitats）与保护关注物种（species of conservation interest）之间的相互作用。在美国，蜗牛鸢（Rostrhamus sociabilis plumbeus）是联邦濒危物种（federally endangered species），其在佛罗里达州的种群在过去十年间持续下滑。我们在托霍普卡利加湖（Lake Tohopekaliga，俗称托霍湖（Lake Toho））开展繁殖期蜗牛鸢的觅食行为（foraging behavior）研究时，意外发现它们会利用该湖泊周边的受干扰临时湿地（disturbed ephemeral wetlands）。这类湿地对于蜗牛鸢而言属于新型栖息地——在引入外来岛屿苹果螺（exotic island apple snail，Pomacea maculata）之前，这类区域并不具备作为觅食地的可行性。该新型湿地区域对蜗牛鸢具有极强的吸引力，这大概率源于此类区域内极高的螺类捕获率。在新型栖息地内筑巢的蜗牛鸢巢的存活状况……