Spatial and Temporal Effects of Fragmentation on Marsh Bird Communities within Saginaw Bay, Michigan

Session: 61. - Remote Sensing, Visualization, and Spatial Data Applications for the Great Lakes

Ryan Dinehart, Central Michigan University, [email protected]
Thomas Gehring, Department of Biology and Institute for Great Lakes Research, [email protected]
Kevin Pangle, Central Michigan University , [email protected]
Donald Uzarski, Central Michigan University, IGLR, CMUBS, and Department of Biology, [email protected]

Abstract

We examined the impacts of anthropogenic fragmentation and introduction of non-native Phragmites australis on 4 wetland-dependent bird species [least bittern (Ixobrychus exilis), marsh wren (Cistothorus palustris), sora (Porzana carolina), Virginia rail (Rallus limicola)] within Saginaw Bay, Michigan.  We measured the area of native vegetation and Phragmites for 21 coastal wetlands using CASI hyperspectral imagery and LiDAR imagery between 2002-2004, and PALSAR imagery from 2008-2010.  During summer 2017, we sampled each wetland to determine the current amount of native vegetation, Phragmites distribution, and anthropogenic fragmentation.  We used ArcMap to measure the distance between native vegetation patches for all wetlands across the landscape.  Based on habitat area and isolation, we calculated ecologically scaled landscape indices (ESLIs) to determine changes in carrying capacity, connectivity, and occupancy of each species in the wetland landscape across time.  Preliminary results show that carrying capacity and connectivity was greatest in our earliest dataset (2002-2004) due to decreased fragmentation across the landscape. With this study we plan to show how ESLIs are a valuable conservation tool when examining the changes in landscapes due to human land use, invasive species, and fluctuating water levels.

1. Keyword
coastal wetlands

2. Keyword
Phragmites australis

3. Keyword
remote sensing