Babesa Sewage Treatment Plant as a vital artificial wetland habitat for a multitude of avian species
Main Article Content
Abstract
This study aimed to glean basic ecological aspects on diversity and abundance, temporal variation and guild composition of the birds at Babesa Sewage Treatment Plant (STP). The line transect method was used as the sampling technique from November 2021 to October 2022. A total of 80 species belonging to 58 genera, 29 families, and 11 orders were detected, of which three, namely, River Lapwing Vanellus duvaucelii, Falcated Duck Mareca falcata, and Ferruginous Duck Aythya nyroca, are ‘Near Threatened’ with the remaining being ‘Least Concern’. The highest species richness was recorded in the winter (6.29), the highest species diversity in the spring (2.73), and the highest evenness in the summer (0.76). There was not any statistically significant difference between non-waterbirds and waterbirds, or between feeding guilds. However, based on a permutational multivariate analysis of variance (PERMANOVA), the bird composition was significantly different among seasons. Subsequently, pairwise comparisons revealed a significant difference between autumn & winter (P = 0.006), autumn & summer (P = 0.006), autumn & spring (P = 0.018), winter & summer (P = 0.006), winter & spring (P = 0.006) as well as spring & summer (P = 0.006). The non-metric multidimensional scaling (NMDS) biplot showed most bird species overlap occurred between autumn and spring as well as summer and spring, respectively. Taken together, the present results suggest that the Babesa STP holds significant potential as a habitat for diverse avian populations and underscores the ecological significance of artificial wetlands.
Article Details
![Creative Commons License](http://i.creativecommons.org/l/by/4.0/88x31.png)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Authors own the copyright to the articles published in JoTT. This is indicated explicitly in each publication. The authors grant permission to the publisher Wildlife Information Liaison Development (WILD) Society to publish the article in the Journal of Threatened Taxa. The authors recognize WILD as the original publisher, and to sell hard copies of the Journal and article to any buyer. JoTT is registered under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY), which allows authors to retain copyright ownership. Under this license the authors allow anyone to download, cite, use the data, modify, reprint, copy and distribute provided the authors and source of publication are credited through appropriate citations (e.g., Son et al. (2016). Bats (Mammalia: Chiroptera) of the southeastern Truong Son Mountains, Quang Ngai Province, Vietnam. Journal of Threatened Taxa 8(7): 8953–8969. https://doi.org/10.11609/jott.2785.8.7.8953-8969). Users of the data do not require specific permission from the authors or the publisher.
References
Afdhal, B., F. Charfi-Cheikhrouha & A. Moali (2012). Tunisian man-made wetlands as alternative habitats for waterbirds and their role for conservation. African Journal of Ecology 51(1): 154–163. https://doi.org/10.1111/aje.12022
Airoldi, L., D. Balata & M.W. Beck (2008). The Gray Zone: relationships between habitat loss and marine diversity and their applications in conservation. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology 366(1–2): 8–15. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jembe.2008.07.034
Akinnifesi, F.K., G.W. Sileshi, O.C. Ajayi, A.I. Akinnifesi, E.G. de Moura, J.F. Linhares & I. Rodrigues (2010). Biodiversity of the urban homegardens of São Luís city, Northeastern Brazil. Urban Ecosystems 13(1): 129–146. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11252-009-0108-9
Alerstam, T., A. Hedenström & S. Åkesson (2003). Long‐distance migration: evolution and determinants. Oikos 103(2): 247–60. https://doi.org/10.1034/j.1600-0706.2003.12559.x
Ali, S., B. Biswa & S.D. Ripley (1996). Birds of Bhutan, Records of Zoological Survey India. Occasional Paper No. 136, 207 pp.
Ali, S. & S.D. Ripley (1987). Compact handbook of the birds of India and Pakistan together with those of Nepal, Sikkim, Bhutan, Bangladesh and Srilanka, 2nd edition. Oxford University Press, Delhi, 737 pp.
Arbizu, M. (2020). pairwiseAdonis: Pairwise multilevel comparison using Adonis. R package version 0.4. https://github.com/pmartinezarbizu/pairwiseAdonis
Attuquayefio, D.K. & F. Gbogbo (2001). Prospects of conserving wetlands along the Mukwe Lagoon at Nungua in the Greater Accra Region of Ghana. West African Journal of Applied Ecology 2(1): 65–75.
Augustin, J.C., J.W. Grubaugh & M.R. Marshal (1999). Validating macroinvertebrate assumptions of the shorebird management model for the lower Mississippi Valley. Wildlife Society Bulletin 27: 552–558.
Benoit, L.K. & R.A. Askins (1999). Impact of the spread of Phragmites on the distribution of birds in Connecticut tidal marshes. Wetlands 19: 194–208. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03161749
Bray, J.R. & J.T. Curtis (1957). An ordination of the upland forest communities of Southern Wisconsin. Ecological Monographs 27: 325–349.
Breed, W.G., J.H. Hatch, C. Rogers, W. Brooker, A.C. Breed, M.H. Marklund, H. Roberts & M.F. Breed (2020). Bolivar Wastewater Treatment Plant provides an important habitat for South Australian ducks and waders. Australian Field Ornithology 37: 190–9. https://dx.doi.org/10.20938/afo37190199
Bull, J. (1974). Birds of New York State. Published by Doubleday/Natural History Press. Edited by Emanuel Levine (1985). Cornell University Press, 622 pp.
Canterbury, G.E., T.E. Martin, D.R. Petit, L.J. Petot & D.F. Branford (1999). Bird communities and habitat as ecological indicators of forest condition in regional monitoring. Conservation Biology 14: 544–558. https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1523-1739.2000.98235.x
Catry, T., J.P. Granadeiro, J.S. Gutiérrez & E. Correia (2022). Stopover use of a large estuarine wetland by dunlins during spring and autumn migrations: Linking local refuelling conditions to migratory strategies. Plos One 17(1): e0263031. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0263031
Chatterjee, A., S. Adhikari, S. Pal & S.K. Mukhopadhyay (2020). Foraging guild structure and niche characteristics of waterbirds wintering in selected sub-Himalayan wetlands of India. Ecological Indicator 108: 105693. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolind.2019.105693
Clarke, K.R. & R.M. Warwick (2001). Change in marine communities: an approach to statistical analysis and interpretation, 2nd edition. Primer-e Ltd, Plymouth Marine Laboratory, Plymouth, UK, 68 pp.
Chiarucci, A., G. Bacaro, D. Rocchini & L. Fattorini (2008). Discovering and rediscovering the sample-based rarefaction formula in the ecological literature. Community Ecology 9(1): 121–123. https://doi.org/10.1556/ComEc.9.2008.1.14
Dendup, P., L. Wangdi, Y. Jamtsho, P. Kuenzang, D. Gyeltshen, T. Tashi, U. Rigzin, Y. Jamtsho, R. Dorji, R. Dorji, Y. Jamtsho, C. Lham & B. Tshering (2021). Bird diversity and conservation threats in Jigme Dorji National Park, Bhutan. Global Ecology and Conservation 30: e01771. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gecco.2021.e01771
Donahue, M.W. (2006). Bird records from south western Virginia Roanoke sewage treatment plant. Banisteria 28: 26–36.
Duchardt, C.J., L.M. Porensky, D.J. Augustine & J.L. Beck (2018). Disturbance shapes avian communities on a grassland–sagebrush ecotone. Ecosphere 9(10): e02483. https://doi.org/10.1002/ecs2.2483
Engle, V.D. (2011). Estimating the provision of ecosystem services by Gulf of Mexico coastal wetlands. Wetlands 31: 179–193. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13157-010-0132-9
Fontana, S., T. Sattler, F. Bontadina & M. Moretti (2011). How to manage the urban green to improve bird diversity and community structure. Landscape and Urban Planning 101(3): 278–285. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landurbplan.2011.02.033
Feijen, C. & H.R. Feijen (2008). A review of the breeding birds of Bhutan. Forktail 24: 1–24.
Forcey, G.M., W.E. Thogmartin, G.M. Linz, W.J. Bleier & P.C. McKann (2011). Land use and climate influences on waterbirds in the Prairie Potholes. Journal of Biogeography 38(9): 1694–707. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2699.2011.02510.x
Gbogbo, F. (2007). The importance of unmanaged coastal wetlands to waterbirds at coastal Ghana. African Journal of Ecology 45(4): 599–606. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2028.2007.00778.x
Giosa, E., C. Mammides & S. Zotos (2018). The importance of artificial wetlands for birds: A case study from Cyprus. PLoS One 13(5): e0197286. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal. pone.0197286
Grimmett, R., C. Inskipp, T. Inskipp & Sherub (2019). Birds of Bhutan and the Eastern Himalayas. Bloomsbury publishing, London, 416 pp.
Gyeltshen, P., C. Norbu & K. Rinchen (2020). Avifauna found in the State Reserved Forest Land of Trongsa district, Bhutan. Bhutan Journal of Natural Resources and Development 7(1): 18–18.
Hamilton, A.J., W. Robinson, I.R. Taylor & B.P. Wilson (2005). The ecology of sewage treatment gradients in relation to their use by waterbirds. Hydrobiologia 534: 91–108. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-004-1415-z
Hansson, L.A., C. Bronmark, P. Anders Nilsson & K. Abjornsson (2005). Conflicting demands on wetland ecosystem services: nutrient retention, biodiversity, or both? Freshwater Biology 50(4): 705–714. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2427.2005.01352.x
Harebottle, D.M., A.J. Williams, Y. Weiss & G.B. Tong (2008). Waterbirds at Paarl waste water treatment works, South Africa, 1994–2004: seasonality, trends and conservation importance. Ostrich 79(2): 147–63. https://doi.org/10.2989/OSTRICH.2008.79.2.4.578
Holbech, L.H. & C.C. Cobbinah (2021). Pollution or protection - what early survey data shows on rapid waterbird utilisation of a newly established sewage treatment plant in Urban Ghana, West Africa. Wetlands 41(8): 110. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13157-021-01510-w
Hsu, C.B., H.L. Hsieh, L. Yang, S.H. Wu, J.S. Chang, S.C. Hsiao, H.C. Su, C.H. Yeh, Y.S. Ho & H.J. Lin (2011). Biodiversity of constructed wetlands for wastewater treatment. Ecological Engineering 37(10): 1533–45. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoleng.2011.06.002
Hutto, R.L., S.M. Pletschet & P. Hendricks (1986). A fixed-radius point count method for nonbreeding and breeding season use. The Auk 103(3): 593–602. https://doi.org/10.1093/auk/103.3.593
Ibrahim, I. & N.A. Aziz (2012). The roles of international NGOs in the conservation of bio-diversity of wetlands. Procedia—Social and Behavioral Sciences 42: 242–247. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2012.04.187
IUCN (2022). The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2022-2. Downloaded from http://www.iucnredlist.org. Accessed on 25 March 2022.
Kalejta-Summers, B., M. McCarthy & L.G. Underhill (2001). Long-term trends, seasonal abundance and energy consumption of waterbirds at Strandfontein, Western Cape, South Africa, 1953–1993. Ostrich 72(1–2): 80–95. https://doi.org/10.2989/00306520109485290
Kedleck, R.H. & S.D. Wallace (2008). Treatment Wetlands, 2nd edition. CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL, 965 pp.
Kennedy, G. & T. Mayer (2002). Natural and constructed wetlands in Canada: An overview. Water Quality Research Journal 37(2): 295–325. https://doi.org/10.2166/wqrj.2002.020
King, R.S. & D.A. Wrubleski (1998). Spatial and diet availability of flying insects as potential duckling food in prairie wetlands. Wetlands 18: 100–114. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03161448
Kloskowski, J., A.J. Green, M. Polak, J. Bustamante & J. Krogulec (2009). Complementary use of natural and artificial wetlands by waterbirds wintering in Doñana, south‐west Spain. Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems 19(7): 815–26. https://doi.org/10.1002/aqc.1027
Kopij, G. & M. Paxton (2018). Seasonal changes in the diversity and numbers of waterbirds in a tropical river in Southern Africa. Polish Journal of Ecology 66(3): 257–269. https://doi.org/10.3161/15052249PJE2018.66.3.006
Kumar, P., D. Rai & S.K. Gupta (2016). Wetland bird assemblage in rural ponds of Kurukshetra, India. Waterbirds 39 (1): 86–98. https://doi.org/10.1675/063.039.0111
Kumar, P. & A. Sharma (2018). Diversity and status of avifauna in man-made sacred ponds of Kurukshetra, India. Journal of Threatened Taxa 10(9): 12173–12193. https://doi.org/10.11609/ jot.3729.10.9.12173-12193
La Torre-Cuadros, M.D., S. Herrando-Perez & K.R. Young (2007). Diversity and structural patterns for tropical montane and premontane forests of central Peru, with an assessment of the use of higher-taxon surrogacy. Biodiversity and Conservation 16: 2965–2988. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10531-007-9155-9
Lawler, S.P. (2001). Rice fields as temporary wetlands: a review. Israel Journal of Zoology 47(4): 513–528. https://doi.org/10.1560/X7K3-9JG8-MH2J-XGX1
Li, D., S. Chen, H.U. Lloyd, S. Zhu, K.A. Shan & Z. Zhang (2013). The importance of artificial habitats to migratory waterbirds within a natural/artificial wetland mosaic, Yellow River Delta, China. Bird Conservation International 23(2): 184–98. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0959270913000099
Liu, L., X. Liu, C. Du, H. Fang, J. Zhang, W. Li, L. Cao & L. Gao (2022). Spring diet and energy intake of Whooper Swans (Cygnus cygnus) at the Yellow River National Wetland in Baotou, China. Plos one 17(2):e0264528. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0264528
Luo, K., Z. Wu, H. Bai & Z. Wang (2019). Bird diversity and waterbird habitat preferences in relation to wetland restoration at Dianchi Lake, south-west China. Avian Research 10(1): 1–12. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40657-019-0162-9
Ma, Z., Y. Wang, X. Gan, B. Li, Y. Cai & J. Chen (2009). Waterbird population changes in the wetlands at Chongming Dongtan in the Yangtze River estuary, China. Environmental Management 43: 1187–200. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00267-008-9247-7
Margalef, R. (1968). Perspectives in ecological theory. University of Chicago Press, Chicago. 107pp.
Mazumdar, S., K. Mookherjee & G.K. Saha (2007). Migratory waterbirds of wetlands of southern West Bengal, India. Indian Birds 3(2): 42–55.
Mitsch, W.J. & J.G. Gosselink (2015). Wetlands, 5th edition. John Wiley and Sons, New York, 721 pp.
Molur, S., K.G. Smith, B.A. Daniel & W.R.T. Darwall (2011). The Status and Distribution of Freshwater Biodiversity in the Western Ghats, India. Cambridge, UK, IUCN, Gland, Switzerland & Zoo Outreach Organization, Coimbatore, India, 116 pp.
Morin, P.J. (2011). Habitat selection. Community ecology. 2nd edition. Wiley, Chichester, 250 pp.
Moskowitz, N.A., B. Dorritie, T. Fay, O.C. Nieves, C. Vidoudez, C.R. 2017 Biology Class, M. 2017 Biotechnology Class, E.K. Fischer, S.A. Trauger, L.A. Coloma & D.A. Donoso (2020). Land use impacts poison frog chemical defenses through changes in leaf litter ant communities. Neotropical Biodiversity 6(1): 75–87. https://doi.org/10.1080/23766808.2020.1744957
Muhammad, S.I., R. Ramli & A.Y. Then (2018). Seasonality, habitat type and locality influenced bird assemblage structure in Nigeria. Ostrich 89(3): 221–31. https://doi.org/10.2989/00306525.2018.1425927
Mukhopadhyay, S. & S. Mazumdar (2019). Habitat-wise composition and foraging guilds of avian community in a suburban landscape of lower Gangetic plains, West Bengal, India. Biologia 74(8): 1001–10. https://doi.org/10.2478/s11756-019-00226-x
Murray, C.G. & A.J. Hamilton (2010). Perspectives on wastewater treatment wetlands and waterbird conservation. Journal of Applied Ecology 47(5): 976–985. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2664.2010.01853.x
Murray, C.G., S. Kasel, E. Szantyr, R. Barratt & A.J. Hamilton (2014). Waterbird use of different treatment stages in waste-stabilization pond systems. Emu 114(1): 30–40. https://doi.org/10.1071/MU12121
NCHM (2013). The National Center for Weather, Climate and Water Resources. Royal Government of Bhutan. Accessed on Date 25 November 2022. http://www.hydromet.gov.bt/?q=13
Nima & U. Dorji (2022). Waterbird assemblage along Punatsangchhu River, Punakha and Wangdue Phodrang, Bhutan. Journal of Threatened Taxa 14(6): 21179–21189. https://doi.org/10.11609/jott.7681.14.6.21179-21189
Nisbet, I.C.T. (1957). Wader migration at Cambridge sewage farm. Bird Study 4(3): 131–148. https://doi.org/10.1080/00063655709475882
Norbu, L., P. Thinley, T. Wangchuck, U. Dechen, L. Dorji, T. Choephel & P. Dorji (2021). On the high bird diversity in the non-protected regions of Trashiyangtse District in Bhutan. Journal of Threatened Taxa 13(9): 19274–19292. https://doi.org/10.11609/jott.6843.13.9.19274-19292
Oksanen, J., F. Guillaume, R.K. Blanchet, P. Legendre, P.R. Minchin, R.B. O’Hara, G.L. Simpson, P.M. Solymos, H. Henry & H.W. Stevens (2019). Package ‘vegan.’ R package version 3.4.0.
Oksanen, J., F.G. Blanchet, M. Friendly, R. Kindt, P. Legendre, D. McGlinn, P.R. Minchin, R.B.O’Hara, G.L.Simpson, P.Solymos, M.H.H. Stevens, E. Szöcs & H.H. Wagner (2020). Vegan: community ecology package (R package version 2.5-7). https://cran. r-project. org/web/packages/vegan/index.html
Orlowski, G. (2013). Factors affecting the use of waste-stabilization ponds by birds: A case study of conservation implications of a sewage farm in Europe. Ecological engineering 61: 436–45. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoleng.2013.09.061
Passang (2018). Diversity of Waterbirds Along Bindu River of Tashi Chhoeling (Samtse), Bhutan. Journal of the Bhutan Ecological Society 3: 45–55.
Phuntsho, S., H.K. Shon, S. Vigneswaran, H.H. Ngo, J. Kandasamy & P. Dorji (2016). Performance of Waste Stabilization Ponds: Experience from cold climatic conditions of Bhutan. Journal of Water Sustainability 6(1): 1. https://doi.org/10.11912/jws.2016.6.1.1-16
Pielou, E.C. (1966). The measurement of diversity in different types of biological collections. Journal of Theoretical Biology 13: 131-144. https://doi.org/10.1016/0022-5193(66)90013-0
R Development Core Team (2021). R: a language and environment for statistical computing. R Foundation for Statistical Computing version 4.0.2, Vienna, Austria. https://www.R-project.org/
Rajpar, M.N. (2010). Avifauna composition and its habitat in freshwater wetland ecosystem Malaysia. Ph.D. Thesis, Faculty of Forestry, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia.
Rajpar, M.N. & M. Zakaria (2013). Assessing an artificial wetland in Putrajaya, Malaysia, as an alternate habitat for waterbirds. Waterbirds 36(4): 482–493. https://doi.org/10.1675/063.036.0405
Rendon, M.A., A.J. Green, E. Aguilera & P. Almaraz (2008). Status, distribution and long-term changes in the waterbird community wintering in Doñana, south–west Spain. Biological Conservation. 141(5): 1371–88. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2008.03.006
Salewski, V., F. Bairlein & B. Leisler (2003). Niche partitioning of two Palearctic passerine migrants with Afrotropical residents in their West African winter quarters. Behavioral Ecology 14(4): 493–502. https://doi.org/10.1093/beheco/arg021
Sebastián-González, E., J.A. Sańchez-Zapata & F. Botella (2010). Agricultural ponds as alternative habitat for waterbirds: spatial and temporal patterns of abundance and management strategies. European Journal of Wildlife Research 56: 11–20. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10344-009-0288-x
Semeraro, T., C. Giannuzzi, L. Beccarisi, R. Aretano, A. De Marco, M.R. Pasimeni, G. Zurlini & I. Petrosillo (2015). A constructed treatment wetland as an opportunity to enhance biodiversity and ecosystem services. Ecological Engineering 82: 517–26. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoleng.2015.05.042
Shannon, C.E. & W. Weaver (1949). The Mathematical Theory of Communication. University of Illinois Press, Urbana, Illinois, 125 pp.
Singh, J., S. Antil, V. Goyal & V. Malik (2020). Avifaunal diversity of Tilyar Lake, Rohtak, Haryana, India. Journal of Threatened Taxa 12(8): 15909–15915. https://doi.org/10.11609/jott.4700.12.8.15909-15915
Soderquist, P., L. Dessborn, H. Djerf, J. Elmberg, G. Gunnarsson & S. Holopainen (2021). Effects of released farmed mallards on species richness of breeding waterbirds and amphibians in natural, restored and constructed wetlands. Wildlife Biology 2021(3): wlb-00846. https://doi.org/10.2981/wlb.00846
Soderstrom, B.O. & T. Part (1999). Influence of landscape scale on farmland birds breeding in semi-natural pastures. Conservation Biology 14(2): 522–533. https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1523-1739.2000.98564.x
Tak, P.C., J.P. Sati & A.N. Rizvi (2010). Status of waterbirds at Hathnikund Barrage wetland, Yamunanagar District, Haryana, India. Journal of Threatened Taxa 2(4): 841–844. https://doi.org/10.11609/JoTT.o2200.841-4
Tiéga, A. (2011). Ramsar Convention on Wetlands: 40 Years of Biodiversity Conservation and Wise Use. Journal of International Wildlife Law & Policy 14(3–4): 173–175. https://doi.org/10.1080/13880292.2011.626686
Tojo, H. (2015). Seasonality of the bird community in the Ogawa Forest Reserve, an old-growth deciduous forest in central Japan. Ornithological Science 14(2): 79–88. https://doi.org/10.2326/osj.14.79
van Biervliet, O., R.J. McInnes, J. Lewis-Phillips & J. Tosney (2020). Can an integrated constructed wetland in Norfolk reduce nutrient concentrations and promote in situ bird species richness? Wetlands 40(5): 967–981. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13157-019-01247-7
Vymazal, J. (2010). Constructed wetlands for wastewater treatments. Water 2(3): 530–549. https://doi.org/10.3390/w2030530
Wang, X., F. Kuang, K. Tan & Z. Ma (2018). Population trends, threats, and conservation recommendations for waterbirds in China. Avian Research 9: 1–3. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40657-018-0106-9
Webb, E.B., L.M. Smith, M.P. Vrtiska & T.G. Lagrange (2010). Effects of local and landscape variables on wetland bird habitat use during migration through the Rainwater Basin. The Journal of Wildlife Management 74(1): 109–19. https://doi.org/10.2193/2008-577
Zar, J.H. (2010). Biostatistical analysis, 5th edn. Pearson Prentice Hall, Upper Sadle River, 931 pp.
Zedler, J.B. & S. Kercher (2005). Wetland resources: status, trends, ecosystem services, and restorability. Annual Review of Environment and Resources 30: 39–74. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.energy.30.050504.144248