Guilds of waterbirds in a Cuban wetland

Abstract

The creation of guilds contributes to the understanding of the structure of assemblages. This research evaluates the dynamics of composition and structure in guilds of an assemblage present in the Las Salinas wetland during 2012-2013. For the analysis, the data were grouped into three periods: spring migration, summer residence and fall migration. Of the eight guilds that we identified, shallow-prober, waders, and aerial-searcher showed the highest species richness. In general, the guilds with the highest densities were herbivores, divers and filterers >50 ind./km2. The highest values were registered during the fall migration followed by the spring migration. There was no variation between years in the proportional abundance for guilds for any period; however, among periods differences were detected for shallow-prober, aerial-searcher divers, herbivores and filterers. The composition of species in each period showed variation by guild. In the aerial-searcher, deep-prober, diver and herbivore guilds a species was recorded with a proportional abundance > 60%, while in shallow-prober and waders the values were more equal. The results establish a baseline that can be used for the management and conservation of the waterbirds that use Las Salinas.

Keywords

• buscadores aéreos
• ciénaga de zapata
• lagunas costeras
• las salinas
• periodos migratorios
• sondeadores someros
• zancudas.