Abstract

BERUMEN SOLORZANO, Atenea et al. Temporal changes of waterbirds at the “Valsequillo Reservoir”, a Ramsar site in Puebla, México. Huitzil [online]. 2017, vol.18, n.2, pp.202-211. ISSN 1870-7459.  https://doi.org/10.28947/hrmo.2017.18.2.278.

The Ramsar Convention seeks to promote the conservation and sustainable use of internationally important wetlands and their biological resources. In 2012, the “Valsequillo Reservoir” (Mexico) was accepted as a Ramsar site, but many themes about the ecology of its avifauna remain unknown. This paper aims to increase our knowledge on the ornithological importance of this Ramsar site, by studying temporal changes in waterbird community structure. From Feb 2014 to Jan 2015, waterbirds were monthly censused from an outboard boat and abundance data were used to study how species richness and diversity changed through time. By means of multivariate techniques, clusters of months were obtained from the similarity matrix and their statistical significance was tested. Finally, the main species explaining those clusters were identified. A total of 30 waterbird species were observed, but monthly richness (standardized for 768 individuals) varied from 12 to 20. From May to September, waterbird community was simpler (i.e., with less abundance, richness and diversity) than from October to March. Main changes in bird community structure were due to variations in the abundance of a small number of species; i.e., the American Coot (Fulica americana), the Northern Shoveler (Anas clypeata) and the Ruddy Duck (Oxyura jamaicensis). Without excluding other possible reasons for these changes, our study suggests that ducks (Anatidae) use the Reservoir mainly as a wintering site, whereas herons (Ardeidae) use it mainly as a stopover site during autumn migration. By maximizing the abundance, richness or diversity of waterbird species observed, our data could be applied in ecotourism (birdwatching) programs.

Keywords : Wetlands; water reservoirs; avifauna; Bray-Curtis; UPGMA; cluster; SIMPROF; simper.

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