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Habitat associations and habitat change: seeking explanation for population decline in breeding Eurasian wigeon Anas penelope

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Abstract

We explored whether the recent large-scale population decline of Eurasian wigeon (Anas penelope) in Europe may be linked to long-term vegetation changes in their boreal breeding wetlands. First, we assessed the importance of Equisetum, Phragmites, and Carex stands in lake selection by pairs and in foraging habitat selection by broods. Second, in 2013–2014 we revisited 58 lakes in Sweden and Finland studied in 1990–1991, to examine if there had been any long-term change in the abundance of habitat types preferred by wigeon. Finally, using continuous long-term data on breeding numbers of wigeon in 18 of the lakes studied in 1990–1991, we examined if wigeon numbers had changed at lakes where the habitat also had changed. We found that lake occupation of nesting wigeon pairs and foraging habitat use of broods were associated with the extent of Equisetum stands. The presence and abundance of this preferred habitat declined dramatically from 1990–1991 to 2013–2014 in the lakes from which the presence–absence data of wigeon emanate. Breeding numbers of wigeon showed a long-term declining trend in lakes where Equisetum has decreased. Our results imply that the recent population decline of wigeon in Europe may be linked to decrease of Equisetum habitat.

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Acknowledgments

The study was supported by Grants from the Foundation for Research of Natural Resources in Finland, by the Swedish Environmental Protection Board, and by the Nordic Council for Wildlife Research. The authors thank a large number of people who have contributed to the fieldwork. Comments by two anonymous reviewers improved the manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Management and Production of Renewable Resources, Natural Resources Institute Finland, Yliopistokatu 6, 80100, Joensuu, Finland

    Hannu Pöysä

  2. Department of Natural Sciences, Kristianstad University, Kristianstad, Sweden

    Johan Elmberg & Gunnar Gunnarsson

  3. Department of Forest Sciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland

    Sari Holopainen & Petri Nummi

  4. Department of Wildlife, Fish, and Environmental Studies, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Umeå, Sweden

    Kjell Sjöberg

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  1. Hannu Pöysä
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  2. Johan Elmberg
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Correspondence to Hannu Pöysä.

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Pöysä, H., Elmberg, J., Gunnarsson, G. et al. Habitat associations and habitat change: seeking explanation for population decline in breeding Eurasian wigeon Anas penelope . Hydrobiologia 785, 207–217 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-016-2922-4

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