DOI: 10.5061/dryad.8pk0p2p03
title: Data from: Global patterns and gaps in the study of terrestrial birds and mammals’ use of freshwater sources: A mapping review

description: Water availability strongly influences the ecology of terrestrial birds
 and mammals. It will likely play an increasing role as a limiting factor
 as climate change and human demand make water availability scarcer.
 However, we lack a knowledge synthesis describing our current
 understanding of the use of water sources, particularly for wildlife
 hydration. To provide a comprehensive overview of the available research
 regarding the utilization of water bodies as hydration sources by
 terrestrial birds and mammals, we conducted a mapping review based on an
 extensive search of papers in the Web of Science and Scopus databases
 published up to 2022. We compiled 181 papers that met our inclusion
 criteria. Earlier papers date back to 1965, but a stable production was
 not reached until 2005, and significant growth since 2015. The USA,
 Mexico, and Zimbabwe had the most published papers. Studies were
 concentrated in areas with a mean annual precipitation lower than 1000 mm,
 predominantly deserts and xeric shrublands, as well as tropical and
 subtropical grasslands, savannas, and shrublands. Studies heavily focused
 on mammals and less frequently included birds and mammals, with an
 overrepresentation of least concern species for both groups. Very few
 studies focused on water sources in the canopy, and even fewer compared
 surface vs. arboreal water sources. Cameras and direct observations were
 the main methods to document wildlife’s water use. Attention to water use
 by birds and mammals shows an increasing trend; however, given the
 globalized reduction of water availability and quality, it is urgent to
 widen the scope of studies to include a greater variety of habitat types,
 water sources, and animal species. Such an increase in scope is necessary
 to unravel the magnitude of the impacts reductions in water availability
 can have in the short and long term for wildlife viability.
description: # Global patterns and gaps in the study of terrestrial birds and mammals
 use of freshwater sources: A mapping review
 [https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.8pk0p2p03](https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.8pk0p2p03) ## Description of the data and file structure This database contains the articles that met all the inclusion criteria for a mapping review on using freshwater sources by terrestrial birds and mammals. The review aims to synthesize global research on how these animal groups utilize water bodies, particularly for hydration, in the context of climate change and increasing water scarcity. The dataset includes bibliographic information and study characteristics for 181 papers published up to 2022, sourced from Web of Science and Scopus. ### Files and variables #### File: Database.xlsx **Description**: The file contains bibliographic information and study characteristics for 181 paperson the use of freshwater sources by terrestrial birds and mammals. | **Variable** | **Explanation** | | :-------------------------- | :--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | ID | Identifier for each publication | | Author | Publication authors | | Title | Publication title | | PubYear | Year of publication | | Journal | Journal name | | doi | Digital object identifier | | Source | If it was obtained by the systematic search or as pre-screened | | Country | Country where the study took place | | Biome | Type of biome according to Olson et al. (2001) | | AnnualRainfall | Annual rainfall in mm | | WorldClimRainfall | If rainfall data was obtained from WorldClim (Yes/No) | | Latitude | Latitude in decimal degrees (WGS 84, EPSG:4326) | | Longitude | Longitude in decimal degrees (WGS 84, EPSG:4326) | | ProtectedArea | If the study was conducted inside a natural protected area (Yes/No) | | AreaName | Name of Protected Area | | FocalSpeciesNumber | Single vs. Two- vs. Multiple species study | | Class | Class name | | Order | Order name | | Family | Family name | | Species | Species name (For single- and two-species studies) | | NumberWildBirdMammalSpecies | Total number of recorded species | | Objectives | The objectives extracted from the paper | | Objective | One of the seven objective categories (see main text) | | WaterMainSites | Were water bodies the main sampling sites? (Yes/No) | | DensAbund | Response variable: density or relative abundance (Yes/No) | | SpRichness | Response variable: species richness (Yes/No) | | VisitationRate | Response variable: visitation rate (Yes/No) | | Duration | Response variable: duration of visits (Yes/No) | | ActivityPatt | Response variable: activity patterns (Yes/No) | | Completeness | Did the study include a measure of completeness for community species richness? (Yes/No) | | SamplingDesign | Sampling design used (experimental/observational) | | SamplingPeriod | The span of the study sampling | | WaterBodyType | Name of the water body provided by the authors | | Natural/Artificial | Were the water bodies natural or artificial? | | Terrestrial/Canopy | Were the water bodies located on the ground or in the canopy? | | WaterBodySize | Did the authors provide any measure of water body size? (Yes/No) | | WaterBodyNumber | Number of sampled water bodies | | MainMethod | Main method used to survey wildlife | | NumberInstruments | Number of instruments or replicates per water body | | Seasons | Seasons covered by the study | | CoveredShoreline | Was the whole shoreline covered? | | Usage | The way the animals used the water bodies | ND = Not Determined, NA = Not Applicable.