Identification_Information:
  Citation:
    Citation_Information:
      Originator:
        Dale E. Gawlik

        Fred H. Sklar
      Publication_Date: Unknown
      Title: Effects of Hydrology on Wading Bird Foraging Parameters
      Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: model
      Other_Citation_Details: This project is a component of the ATLSS program
      Online_Linkage: http://sofia.usgs.gov/projects/atlss/wading_birds/
  Description:
    Abstract:
      The conceptual model for this study is based on the idea that
      hydroperiod is a long-term process that primarily influences the
      abundance, body size, and species composition of the prey community
      whereas water depth has immediate effects on individual birds by
      influencing their ability to capture prey. This study seeks to
      determine through field experiments, the proximate effects of water
      depth, prey density, prey size, and prey species on wading bird
      foraging parameters.  The species of wading birds examined in this
      study are those in the ATLSS wading bird model: the Wood Stork, White
      Ibis, Great Egret, and Great Blue Heron.
    Purpose:
      The recovery of wading bird populations has been identified as a key
      component of successful Everglades restoration.  Proposed causes for
      the decline in wading bird numbers have in common the notion that
      current hydropatterns have altered the availability of prey.  Indeed,
      food availability may be the single most important factor limiting
      populations of wading birds in the Everglades.

      In the face of conflicting management scenarios, knowing the relative
      importance of each component of food availability is a precursor to
      understanding the effects of specific water management regimes on
      wading birds.  Ongoing modeling efforts in south Florida such as the
      ATLSS program, integrate such information and provide predictive power
      for future management decisions.  Currently, the biggest information
      gap limiting the wading bird model of ATLSS is foraging success as a
      function of prey availability.  The South Florida Water Management
      District (SFWMD) is currently conducting a series of experiments aimed
      at determining the effects of water management on the use of foraging
      sites by wading birds.  Site-use data are available immediately after
      each experiment and thus allow for quick analyses and write-up. 
      However, also as part of those experiments, we recorded on film,
      foraging behavior of wading birds at feeding sites with known prey
      availabilities.
    Supplemental_Information: This project was completed in 2003
  Time_Period_of_Content:
    Time_Period_Information:
      Range_of_Dates/Times:
        Beginning_Date: 199812
        Ending_Date: 20030802
    Currentness_Reference: Observed
  Status:
    Progress: Complete
    Maintenance_and_Update_Frequency: None planned
  Spatial_Domain:
    Description_of_Geographic_Extent:
      ponds adjacent to and NW of Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee National
      Wildlife Refuge, Palm Beach County, FL
    Bounding_Coordinates:
      West_Bounding_Coordinate: -80.625
      East_Bounding_Coordinate: -80.125
      North_Bounding_Coordinate: 26.875
      South_Bounding_Coordinate: 26.3
  Keywords:
    Theme:
      Theme_Keyword_Thesaurus: none
      Theme_Keyword: wading birds
      Theme_Keyword: ATLSS
      Theme_Keyword: fish
      Theme_Keyword: hydrology
      Theme_Keyword: biology
    Theme:
      Theme_Keyword_Thesaurus: ISO 19115 Topic Category
      Theme_Keyword: biota
      Theme_Keyword: environment
      Theme_Keyword: inlandWaters
      Theme_Keyword: 002
      Theme_Keyword: 007
      Theme_Keyword: 012
    Place:
      Place_Keyword_Thesaurus:
        Department of Commerce, 1995, Countries, Dependencies, Areas of
        Special Sovereignty, and Their Principal Administrative Divisions, 
        Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS) 10-4, Washington,
        D.C., National Institute of Standards and Technology
      Place_Keyword: US
      Place_Keyword: United States
    Place:
      Place_Keyword_Thesaurus:
        U.S. Department of Commerce, 1987, Codes for the identification of
        the States, the District of Columbia and the outlying areas of the
        United States, and associated areas (Federal Information Processing
        Standard 5-2): Washington, D. C., NIST
      Place_Keyword: Florida
      Place_Keyword: FL
    Place:
      Place_Keyword_Thesaurus:
        Department of Commerce, 1990, Counties and Equivalent Entities of
        the United States, Its Possessions, and Associated Areas, FIPS 6-3,
        Washington, DC, National Institute of Standards and Technology
      Place_Keyword: Palm Beach County
    Place:
      Place_Keyword_Thesaurus: USGS Geographic Names Information System
      Place_Keyword: Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge
    Place:
      Place_Keyword_Thesaurus: none
      Place_Keyword: Greater Lake Okeechobee
  Taxonomy:
    Keywords/Taxon:
      Taxonomic_Keyword_Thesaurus: none
      Taxonomic_Keywords: multiple species
    Taxonomic_System:
      Classification_System/Authority:
        Classification_System_Citation:
          Citation_Information:
            Originator:
              U.S. Department of Agriculture - Agricultural Research Service
              (ARS)

              U.S. Department of Agriculture - Natural Resources
              Conservation Service (NRCS) Department of the Interior - U.S.
              Geological Survey Department of Commerce - National Oceanic
              and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Environmental Protection
              Agency (EPA) Smithsonian Institution - National Museum of
              Natural History (NMNH)
            Publication_Date: 2000
            Title: Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS)
            Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: Database
            Other_Citation_Details:
              Retrieved from the Integrated Taxonomic Information System
              on-line database, http://www.itis.gov.
            Online_Linkage: http://www.itis.gov
      Taxonomic_Procedures:
        Ponds were initially stocked with known fish.  Wading bird feeding
        flocks were filmed for 5-45 minutes from a vehicle with a Hi-8 video
        camera and 8-120 mm zoom lens.  Specific species studied are Wood
        Stork, White Ibis, Great Egret, and Great Blue Heron.
      Taxonomic_Completeness: unknown
    General_Taxonomic_Coverage: All fish an birds are identified to the species level
    Taxonomic_Classification:
      Taxon_Rank_Name: Kingdom
      Taxon_Rank_Value: Animalia
      Applicable_Common_Name: animals
      Taxonomic_Classification:
        Taxon_Rank_Name: Phylum
        Taxon_Rank_Value: Chordata
        Applicable_Common_Name: chordates
        Taxonomic_Classification:
          Taxon_Rank_Name: Subphylum
          Taxon_Rank_Value: Vertebrata
          Applicable_Common_Name: vertebrates
          Taxonomic_Classification:
            Taxon_Rank_Name: Class
            Taxon_Rank_Value: Aves
            Applicable_Common_Name: birds
            Taxonomic_Classification:
              Taxon_Rank_Name: Order
              Taxon_Rank_Value: Ciconiiformes
              Applicable_Common_Name: storks
              Applicable_Common_Name: herons
              Applicable_Common_Name: ibises
              Applicable_Common_Name: American vultures
              Taxonomic_Classification:
                Taxon_Rank_Name: Family
                Taxon_Rank_Value: Ciconiidae
                Applicable_Common_Name: storks
                Taxonomic_Classification:
                  Taxon_Rank_Name: Genus
                  Taxon_Rank_Value: Mycteria
                  Applicable_Common_Name: wood storks
                  Taxonomic_Classification:
                    Taxon_Rank_Name: Species
                    Taxon_Rank_Value: Mycteria americana
              Taxonomic_Classification:
                Taxon_Rank_Name: Family
                Taxon_Rank_Value: Ardeidae
                Applicable_Common_Name: bitterns
                Applicable_Common_Name: egrets
                Applicable_Common_Name: herons
                Taxonomic_Classification:
                  Taxon_Rank_Name: Genus
                  Taxon_Rank_Value: Casmerodius
                  Applicable_Common_Name: great egrets
                  Taxonomic_Classification:
                    Taxon_Rank_Name: Species
                    Taxon_Rank_Value: Ardea alba
                    Applicable_Common_Name: great egret
                Taxonomic_Classification:
                  Taxon_Rank_Name: Genus
                  Taxon_Rank_Value: Ardea
                  Applicable_Common_Name: great herons
                  Taxonomic_Classification:
                    Taxon_Rank_Name: Species
                    Taxon_Rank_Value: Ardea herodias
                    Applicable_Common_Name: great blue heron
              Taxonomic_Classification:
                Taxon_Rank_Name: Family
                Taxon_Rank_Value: Threskiornithidae
                Applicable_Common_Name: ibises
                Applicable_Common_Name: spoonbills
                Taxonomic_Classification:
                  Taxon_Rank_Name: Genus
                  Taxon_Rank_Value: Eudocimus
                  Applicable_Common_Name: white ibises
                  Applicable_Common_Name: scarlet ibises
                  Taxonomic_Classification:
                    Taxon_Rank_Name: Species
                    Taxon_Rank_Value: Eudocimus albus
                    Applicable_Common_Name: white ibis
          Taxonomic_Classification:
            Taxon_Rank_Name: Superclass
            Taxon_Rank_Value: Osteichthyes
            Applicable_Common_Name: bony fishes
            Taxonomic_Classification:
              Taxon_Rank_Name: Class
              Taxon_Rank_Value: Actinopterygii
              Applicable_Common_Name: ray-finned fishes
              Applicable_Common_Name: spiny rayed fishes
              Taxonomic_Classification:
                Taxon_Rank_Name: Subclass
                Taxon_Rank_Value: Neopterygii
                Taxonomic_Classification:
                  Taxon_Rank_Name: Infraclass
                  Taxon_Rank_Value: Teleostei
                  Taxonomic_Classification:
                    Taxon_Rank_Name: Superorder
                    Taxon_Rank_Value: Ostariophysi
                    Taxonomic_Classification:
                      Taxon_Rank_Name: Order
                      Taxon_Rank_Value: Cypriniformes
                      Applicable_Common_Name: minnows
                      Applicable_Common_Name: suckers
                      Taxonomic_Classification:
                        Taxon_Rank_Name: Family
                        Taxon_Rank_Value: Cyprinidae
                        Applicable_Common_Name: carps
                        Applicable_Common_Name: minnows
                        Taxonomic_Classification:
                          Taxon_Rank_Name: Genus
                          Taxon_Rank_Value: Notemigonus
                          Applicable_Common_Name: golden shiners
                          Taxonomic_Classification:
                            Taxon_Rank_Name: Species
                            Taxon_Rank_Value: Notemigonus crysoleucas
                            Applicable_Common_Name: golden shiner
                  Taxonomic_Classification:
                    Taxon_Rank_Name: Superorder
                    Taxon_Rank_Value: Acanthopterygii
                    Taxonomic_Classification:
                      Taxon_Rank_Name: Order
                      Taxon_Rank_Value: Perciformes
                      Applicable_Common_Name: perch-like fishes
                      Taxonomic_Classification:
                        Taxon_Rank_Name: Suborder
                        Taxon_Rank_Value: Percoidei
                        Taxonomic_Classification:
                          Taxon_Rank_Name: Family
                          Taxon_Rank_Value: Centrarchidae
                          Applicable_Common_Name: sunfishes
                          Taxonomic_Classification:
                            Taxon_Rank_Name: Genus
                            Taxon_Rank_Value: Lepomis
                            Applicable_Common_Name: common sunfishes
                            Applicable_Common_Name: eared sunfishes
                            Taxonomic_Classification:
                              Taxon_Rank_Name: Species
                              Taxon_Rank_Value: Lepomis macrochirus
                              Applicable_Common_Name: bluegill
  Access_Constraints: none
  Use_Constraints:
    These data are subject to change and are not citeable until reviewed and
    approved for official publication.
  Point_of_Contact:
    Contact_Information:
      Contact_Person_Primary:
        Contact_Person: Dale Gawlik
        Contact_Organization: Florida Atlantic University
      Contact_Address:
        Address_Type: mailing address
        Address:
          Dept. Of Biological Sciences

          777 Glades Road
        City: Boca Raton
        State_or_Province: FL
        Postal_Code: 33431-0991
        Country: USA
      Contact_Voice_Telephone: 561 297-3333
      Contact_Facsimile_Telephone: 561 297-2749
      Contact_Electronic_Mail_Address: dgawlik@fau.edu
Data_Quality_Information:
  Logical_Consistency_Report: not applicable
  Completeness_Report: not available
  Lineage:
    Process_Step:
      Process_Description:
        Field experiments were conducted in a set of 15 0.2-ha ponds
        directly adjacent to, and NW of, Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee
        National Wildlife Refuge in Palm Beach County, Florida. Three
        experiments (water depth and fish density, water depth and fish
        size, water depth and fish species) were conducted between March,
        1996 and March 1997 (contact Gawlik for detailed methods for the
        water depth and fish density experiment).  Each experiment began
        when ponds were stocked with fish and ended when bird-use nearly
        ceased (a period of approximately 2 weeks).  The maximum number of
        birds present in a day (all ponds pooled) was approximately 280. 
        For the fish density experiment, 2 treatments were assigned randomly
        among 12 ponds using a 3x2x2 factorial arrangement (water depth: 10
        cm, 19 cm, 28 cm; fish density: 3 fish/m2, 10 fish/m2; replicates:
        2). For the fish size experiment, 2 treatments were assigned
        randomly among 12 ponds using a 3x2x2 factorial arrangement (water
        depth: 19 cm, 28 cm, 37 cm; fish size: 3 cm, 8 cm; replicates: 2).
        All ponds were stocked at a density of 8 fish/m2.  For the fish
        species experiment, 3 treatments (water depth: 10 cm, 28 cm; fish
        density: 4 fish/m2, 16 fish/m2; fish species: bluegill, golden
        shiner; replicates: 2) were assigned randomly among 12 ponds.  This
        2x2x2x2 arrangement was more complex because the treatment of high
        fish density and low water was eliminated from the design.

        For all experiments, ponds were initially stocked at known fish
        densities; however, those densities decreased quickly as a result of
        bird predation.  Thus, we treated fish density as a continuous
        variable, which we monitored regularly.   We determined fish
        densities during at least 4 sampling periods based on 1-m2
        throw-trap samples (Kushlan 1974).  Sampling ceased in individual
        ponds if no stocked fish were captured in any of the throw-trap
        samples.  Throw-trap samples were distributed evenly within a pond
        by dividing each pond into 16 10x8 m plots and conducting one
        throw-trap sample in each plot during each sampling period. A test
        of sampling efficiency indicated the numbers of fish captured in
        throw traps represents an average of 55% of the actual fish density
        in the experimental ponds.  All fish density values reported are the
        number of fish captured in throw traps uncorrected for sampling
        efficiency.  A linear regression model was fitted to the data from
        each pond such that the response was the number of fish/m2
        transformed as y(ln +1).  The predicted values were back-transformed
        to get estimated densities of fish for each pond each day of the
        experiment with the constraint that no predicted value could be less
        than zero.  The estimated values were used in subsequent analyses of
        bird foraging success.

        To measure wading bird foraging responses, we filmed feeding
        flocksfor 5-45 minutes from a vehicle with a Hi-8 mm video camera
        and 8-120 mm zoom lens.  A pilot study indicated that filming from a
        parked vehicle with cloth-covered windows disturbed birds less than
        a portable blind.  Selection of a flock to film was based on where
        the largest group of birds were foraging and whether data were
        lacking for a given treatment combination.  Flocks were allowed
        several minutes to re-settle and resume feeding before filming was
        initiated.  Filming was concluded if flock size changed by more than
        25%.  Our aim was to get 15 min of film on each bird (with a minimum
        time limit of 5 min) and a maximum of 15 birds per species per film
        session.  If too few individuals in a film session met that
        criterion then the minimum time limit was reduced to 2 min.  During
        feeding activities, birds would sometimes travel to the edge of a
        pond or leave the pond momentarily.  Because of the sloped edge of
        the pond, water depths in those areas were less than treatment
        levels.  Thus, we excluded from time-activity budgets any period
        where a bird was at the edge or outside of a pond.  This criterion
        resulted in a further shortening of some time-activity budgets.
      Process_Date: 200001
    Process_Step:
      Process_Description:
        Following the field portion of the study, time-activity budgets of
        focal birds (Altmann 1974) were constructed from videotapes.  Tapes
        were viewed using a Hi-8 VCR connected to a high-resolution video
        monitor.  Data were entered into an Oracle database through a
        personal computer connected to an interoffice-network.

        To eliminate the possibility of constructing time-activity budgets
        on the same individual more than once in a session, we did not use
        as focal birds, individuals of the focal species that appeared in
        view after the first focal bird left the screen.  However, before a
        focal bird left the field of view, any new birds that appeared could
        have been used as focal birds.  A foraging bout ended when a focal
        bird left the field of view, became obscured in a flock, or the film
        session ended (usually about 15 minutes). Capture rates were
        calculated as the number of prey consumed divided by the length of
        time (min) of the time-activity budget.   Birds that never consumed
        a prey item were excluded from the analysis.

        From each time-activity budget, we calculated mean prey-intake rate
        as the response variable.  Descriptive statistics such as the mean
        and standard deviation are presented for each bird species at
        different treatment levels.  This is the format most useful for
        incorporating parameter values into the ATLSS wading bird model (W.
        Wolff, Univ. of Miami, pers. commun.).  For species of which we had
        adequate data to conduct statistical analyses, we determined the
        relative effects of the treatment variables on the response
        variables. Tests were conducted using PROC GLM in SAS version 6.12
        for Windows with water depth, fish size, and fish species as class
        variables and fish density as a continuous variable.  We specified
        an initial full model containing main effects and interactions. 
        Non-significant (p > 0.05) interactions indicated that a model was
        over-specified and contained more terms than necessary (Littel et
        al. 1991, Freund and Wilson 1993).  In that case, we constructed a
        subsequent set of reduced models containing the main effects and
        significant interactions only.
      Process_Date: 2001
    Process_Step:
      Process_Description:
        Thus far, only the water depth and fish density experiment has been
        completely analyzed.  The results from the water depth and fish size
         experiment are nearing completion.  Key results include the
        development and refinement of a conceptual model of wading bird
        foraging behavior.  This model provided the rules for quantifying
        time-activity budgets for all species, including tactile and visual
        foragers, under the circumstance encountered during the experiments.
         We calculated prey-intake rates and their associated variability
        for 2 prey densities and 3 water depths.  These numbers can be used
        to refine parameter estimates currently in the ATLSS wading bird
        model.  We reported foraging costs (giving-up densities of fish) and
        their associated variability for each species at 3 depths.  Note
        that fish density estimates and giving-up densities were not
        corrected for sampling efficiency thus resulting in an underestimate
        of true density.  The adjusted numbers can be used in the ATLSS
        model because it reflects the lower threshold of fish abundance
        where wading birds will no longer use the site.
      Process_Date: 2000
    Process_Step:
      Process_Description:
        As part of the third experiment, the District (SFWMD) filmed
        foraging behaviors of wading birds at feeding sites with known fish
        species, water depths, and fish densities.  Current funding levels
        at the District dictate that the foraging data, which require
        thousands of hours to extract from the films, will not be available
        soon enough to be used in the ATLSS wading bird model.  This third
        experiment proposes to examine the effect of fish species, fish
        density, and water depth.  The species of wading birds examined in
        this study are those in the ATLSS wading bird model: Wood Stork
        (Mycteria americana), White Ibis (Eudocimus albus), Great Egret
        (Casmerodius albus) and Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias). The
        species of fish being compared are the Bluegill and Golden Shiner,
        both of which are native to the Everglades.  The experimental
        hypotheses being tested are that fish species, fish density, and
        water depth, affect wading bird prey-intake rates and capture
        success.
      Process_Date: 2002
      Process_Contact:
        Contact_Information:
          Contact_Person_Primary:
            Contact_Person: Dale Gawlik
            Contact_Organization: Florida Atlantic University
          Contact_Address:
            Address_Type: mailing address
            Address:
              Dept. Of Biological Sciences

              777 Glades Road
            City: Boca Raton
            State_or_Province: FL
            Postal_Code: 33431-0991
            Country: USA
          Contact_Voice_Telephone: 561 297-3333
          Contact_Facsimile_Telephone: 561 297-2749
          Contact_Electronic_Mail_Address: dgawlik@fau.edu
Spatial_Data_Organization_Information:
  Indirect_Spatial_Reference: ponds NW and adjacent to Loxahatchee NWR
Distribution_Information:
  Distributor:
    Contact_Information:
      Contact_Person_Primary:
        Contact_Person: Dale Gawlik
        Contact_Organization: Florida Atlantic University
      Contact_Address:
        Address_Type: mailing address
        Address:
          Dept. Of Biological Sciences

          777 Glades Road
        City: Boca Raton
        State_or_Province: FL
        Postal_Code: 33431-0991
        Country: USA
      Contact_Voice_Telephone: 561 297-3333
      Contact_Facsimile_Telephone: 561 297-2749
      Contact_Electronic_Mail_Address: dgawlik@fau.edu
  Resource_Description: wading bird foraging parameters
  Distribution_Liability: No warrantees are implied or explicit for the data
  Standard_Order_Process:
    Non-digital_Form: Contact Dale Gawlik for information and data from this project.
    Fees: none
Metadata_Reference_Information:
  Metadata_Date: 20070124
  Metadata_Contact:
    Contact_Information:
      Contact_Person_Primary:
        Contact_Person: Heather Henkel
        Contact_Organization: U.S. Geological Survey
      Contact_Address:
        Address_Type: mailing and physical address
        Address: 600 Fourth Street South
        City: St. Petersburg
        State_or_Province: FL
        Postal_Code: 33701
        Country: USA
      Contact_Voice_Telephone: 727 803-8747 ext 3028
      Contact_Facsimile_Telephone: 727 803-2030
      Contact_Electronic_Mail_Address: sofia-metadata@usgs.gov
  Metadata_Standard_Name:
    Content Standard for Digital Geospatial Metadata Part 1: Biological Data
    Profile
  Metadata_Standard_Version: FGDC-STD-001.1-1999