Hurricane Sandy and engineered response created habitat for a threatened shorebird
Abstract The intensity of Atlantic Ocean hurricanes is predicted to increase, and although disturbance is recognized as a fundamental driver of ecological processes, the benefits of hurricanes to ecological systems are seldom acknowledged. In October 2012, Hurricane Sandy overwashed Fire Island and...
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doaj-ba01e2b6c431448093cff753356525e02020-11-24T22:05:45ZengWileyEcosphere2150-89252019-06-01106n/an/a10.1002/ecs2.2771Hurricane Sandy and engineered response created habitat for a threatened shorebirdKatie M. Walker0James D. Fraser1Daniel H. Catlin2Shannon J. Ritter3Samantha G. Robinson4Henrietta A. Bellman5Audrey DeRose‐Wilson6Sarah M. Karpanty7Steven T. Papa8Department of Fish and Wildlife Conservation Virginia Tech Blacksburg Virginia 24061 USADepartment of Fish and Wildlife Conservation Virginia Tech Blacksburg Virginia 24061 USADepartment of Fish and Wildlife Conservation Virginia Tech Blacksburg Virginia 24061 USADepartment of Fish and Wildlife Conservation Virginia Tech Blacksburg Virginia 24061 USADepartment of Fish and Wildlife Conservation Virginia Tech Blacksburg Virginia 24061 USADepartment of Fish and Wildlife Conservation Virginia Tech Blacksburg Virginia 24061 USADepartment of Fish and Wildlife Conservation Virginia Tech Blacksburg Virginia 24061 USADepartment of Fish and Wildlife Conservation Virginia Tech Blacksburg Virginia 24061 USALong Island Field Office U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Shirley New York 11967 USAAbstract The intensity of Atlantic Ocean hurricanes is predicted to increase, and although disturbance is recognized as a fundamental driver of ecological processes, the benefits of hurricanes to ecological systems are seldom acknowledged. In October 2012, Hurricane Sandy overwashed Fire Island and Westhampton Island, New York. The storm flattened dunes, buried vegetation, and breached the barrier islands in several places. To reduce future overwashing, engineers attempted to stabilize the islands. We studied nest‐site selection, suitable habitat, and abundance of a threatened shorebird, the piping plover (Charadrius melodus), before and after Hurricane Sandy. Prior to the hurricane, piping plovers selected nest sites (n = 62) farther from the ocean (x¯ least‐cost distance = 82.8 m) and bay (x¯ Euclidean distance = 697.7 m; x¯ least‐cost distance = 24,160.6 m) than would be expected if they were selecting nest sites at random. Following the hurricane, piping plovers selected nest sites (n = 45) predominantly in or near storm overwash habitat, which was close to, and had unobstructed walking access to, the ocean (x¯ least‐cost distance = 123.4 m) and newly created bayside foraging habitats (x¯ Euclidean distance = 468.0 m; x¯ least‐cost distance = 728.9 m). Areas overwashed by the hurricane contained the most suitable piping plover habitat across all new habitat types. Piping plover abundance increased 93% by 2018 from pre‐Hurricane Sandy abundances, with most pairs nesting in new habitats. However, only 58% of suitable piping plover habitat was protected from recreational use and few piping plovers used unprotected habitats for nesting. Our results suggest that the ecological benefits of increased storminess may be maximized by coupling coastal stabilization with targeted conservation of storm‐created habitats.https://doi.org/10.1002/ecs2.2771barrier islandconservationearly‐successionalhabitat changeHurricane Sandypiping plover |
collection |
DOAJ |
language |
English |
format |
Article |
sources |
DOAJ |
author |
Katie M. Walker James D. Fraser Daniel H. Catlin Shannon J. Ritter Samantha G. Robinson Henrietta A. Bellman Audrey DeRose‐Wilson Sarah M. Karpanty Steven T. Papa |
spellingShingle |
Katie M. Walker James D. Fraser Daniel H. Catlin Shannon J. Ritter Samantha G. Robinson Henrietta A. Bellman Audrey DeRose‐Wilson Sarah M. Karpanty Steven T. Papa Hurricane Sandy and engineered response created habitat for a threatened shorebird Ecosphere barrier island conservation early‐successional habitat change Hurricane Sandy piping plover |
author_facet |
Katie M. Walker James D. Fraser Daniel H. Catlin Shannon J. Ritter Samantha G. Robinson Henrietta A. Bellman Audrey DeRose‐Wilson Sarah M. Karpanty Steven T. Papa |
author_sort |
Katie M. Walker |
title |
Hurricane Sandy and engineered response created habitat for a threatened shorebird |
title_short |
Hurricane Sandy and engineered response created habitat for a threatened shorebird |
title_full |
Hurricane Sandy and engineered response created habitat for a threatened shorebird |
title_fullStr |
Hurricane Sandy and engineered response created habitat for a threatened shorebird |
title_full_unstemmed |
Hurricane Sandy and engineered response created habitat for a threatened shorebird |
title_sort |
hurricane sandy and engineered response created habitat for a threatened shorebird |
publisher |
Wiley |
series |
Ecosphere |
issn |
2150-8925 |
publishDate |
2019-06-01 |
description |
Abstract The intensity of Atlantic Ocean hurricanes is predicted to increase, and although disturbance is recognized as a fundamental driver of ecological processes, the benefits of hurricanes to ecological systems are seldom acknowledged. In October 2012, Hurricane Sandy overwashed Fire Island and Westhampton Island, New York. The storm flattened dunes, buried vegetation, and breached the barrier islands in several places. To reduce future overwashing, engineers attempted to stabilize the islands. We studied nest‐site selection, suitable habitat, and abundance of a threatened shorebird, the piping plover (Charadrius melodus), before and after Hurricane Sandy. Prior to the hurricane, piping plovers selected nest sites (n = 62) farther from the ocean (x¯ least‐cost distance = 82.8 m) and bay (x¯ Euclidean distance = 697.7 m; x¯ least‐cost distance = 24,160.6 m) than would be expected if they were selecting nest sites at random. Following the hurricane, piping plovers selected nest sites (n = 45) predominantly in or near storm overwash habitat, which was close to, and had unobstructed walking access to, the ocean (x¯ least‐cost distance = 123.4 m) and newly created bayside foraging habitats (x¯ Euclidean distance = 468.0 m; x¯ least‐cost distance = 728.9 m). Areas overwashed by the hurricane contained the most suitable piping plover habitat across all new habitat types. Piping plover abundance increased 93% by 2018 from pre‐Hurricane Sandy abundances, with most pairs nesting in new habitats. However, only 58% of suitable piping plover habitat was protected from recreational use and few piping plovers used unprotected habitats for nesting. Our results suggest that the ecological benefits of increased storminess may be maximized by coupling coastal stabilization with targeted conservation of storm‐created habitats. |
topic |
barrier island conservation early‐successional habitat change Hurricane Sandy piping plover |
url |
https://doi.org/10.1002/ecs2.2771 |
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