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Contributed Talk

Session: : Conservation Ecology and Extinction 4

COS 233-2 - Identifying priority bird habitat for tidal bird species in the Mississippi Gulf of Mexico using ensemble models

Thursday, August 10, 2023
8:15 AM – 8:30 AM PDT
Location: C125-126
Abstract: Effective management relies on information about the ecology of sensitive species. Tidal marsh provides numerous ecological benefits including habitat provision for numerous species, carbon sink, and coastal protection. The Gulf of Mexico contains more than half of the tidal marsh in the continental United States, making it a conservation target. Despite its ecological importance, tidal marsh is constantly threatened by human intervention, including the loss of more than half of their extent in the last four decades and recent oil spills. Our goal was to find areas of conservation priority for focal marsh species (Clapper Rail, Marsh Wren, Seaside Sparrow, Red-winged Blackbird, Common Yellowthroat, Nelson's Sparrow & Sedge Wren). For each species, we obtained relevant environmental predictor data and developed habitat suitability models, using popular modeling techniques (generalized additive models, generalized boosted regression trees, Maxent) and created a weighted ensemble model. These ensemble models reduced the variation from individual models. To calibrate and evaluate the models, we conducted a field survey for overwintering bird species in multiple marsh areas of the Mississippi portion of the Gulf of Mexico. We summarized the habitat preferences for each species and we were able to identify areas preferred by multiple species, making them targets for additional conservation measures. Our study highlights the value of ensemble habitat suitability models for conservation planning among priority areas.