Scholarlink

<p>We investigated the breeding ecology of the Kentish Plover (<i>Anarhynchus alexandrinus</i>) in north eastern Algeria’s El Oued region during the 2024 breeding season (February to July), focusing on two contrasting wetland habitats: a natural site (Chott El Oued) and an artificial one (a wastewater treatment plant). Breeding activity extended from February to July, during which we monitored 134 nests, 78 in the natural and 56 in the artificial wetland. Generalised Additive Models revealed that habitat type had a significant effect on reproductive performance. Except for clutch size, the natural wetland consistently produced higher breeding metrics than the artificial wetland, including a markedly greater nesting success (59.0% vs 23.2% respectively). Among the 74 failed nests, the principal causes were vandalism (58.7%), abandonment (24.0%), and predation (18.7%). These results indicate that artificial wetlands, although apparently suitable, may function as ecological traps by attracting breeders while exposing them to unfavourable or hazardous conditions. The pronounced disparity in reproductive success highlights the vital importance of natural habitats for sustaining Kentish Plover populations. Protecting these high quality breeding areas is essential for the conservation of this species and other migratory waterbirds facing increasing human pressures.</p>

错误：搜索内容不能为空，请输入英文关键词
错误：关键词超出字数限制，请精简
高级检索

Evidence of ecological traps in man-made wetlands for breeding Kentish Plovers in the Algerian Sahara

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2026年4月6日

查看全文
  • Messaoud Gueddoul,
  • Aicha Mouane,
  • Mehdi Selmane,
  • Abdelwahab Chedad,
  • Abdelhakim Bouzid,
  • Boudjéma Samraoui

摘要

We investigated the breeding ecology of the Kentish Plover (Anarhynchus alexandrinus) in north eastern Algeria’s El Oued region during the 2024 breeding season (February to July), focusing on two contrasting wetland habitats: a natural site (Chott El Oued) and an artificial one (a wastewater treatment plant). Breeding activity extended from February to July, during which we monitored 134 nests, 78 in the natural and 56 in the artificial wetland. Generalised Additive Models revealed that habitat type had a significant effect on reproductive performance. Except for clutch size, the natural wetland consistently produced higher breeding metrics than the artificial wetland, including a markedly greater nesting success (59.0% vs 23.2% respectively). Among the 74 failed nests, the principal causes were vandalism (58.7%), abandonment (24.0%), and predation (18.7%). These results indicate that artificial wetlands, although apparently suitable, may function as ecological traps by attracting breeders while exposing them to unfavourable or hazardous conditions. The pronounced disparity in reproductive success highlights the vital importance of natural habitats for sustaining Kentish Plover populations. Protecting these high quality breeding areas is essential for the conservation of this species and other migratory waterbirds facing increasing human pressures.