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Impact of Urban Threats and Disturbance on the Survival of Waterbird Communities in Wetlands of Bengaluru City, India

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Abstract

Threats to waterbird communities on urban wetlands in the Bengaluru city, South India are poorly known. We calculated disturbance scores for 15 lakes along a gradient from low (LDL) to high (HDL) disturbance levels based on vegetation structure and composition. HDL had the highest threat scores and the lowest number of waterbird species whereas LDL supported the highest number of species. Human activities included commercial fishing and aquaculture, and shoreline development leading to habitat fragmentation and degradation. We discuss strategies for the conservation of urban wetlands and the preservation of waterbird diversity.

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  1. Department of Studies in Zoology, Bangalore University, Jnana Bharathi Campus, Off Mysuru Road, Bengaluru, 560 056, India

    S. Rajashekara & M. G. Venkatesha

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  1. S. Rajashekara
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  2. M. G. Venkatesha
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Correspondence to S. Rajashekara.

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SR and MGV conceived and designed the experiments. SR performed the experiments. SR analyzed the data. SR wrote the manuscript and other author provide editorial advice.

Appendices

Appendix 1

See Fig. 5.

Fig. 5
figure 5

Some of the major threats to aquatic bird communities in the urban wetlands of the Bengaluru region. a Fish catching, b Fish harvesting, c Ganesha idol disposing/ immersion, d Lake encroachment, e Modern boating, f Construction of road and transport, g Solid waste disposal, h Local boating

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Appendix 2

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Table 4 Species Importance Value Index (SIVI) for waterbird species in the wetlands of the Bengaluru region
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Appendix 3

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Table 5 Family Importance Value Index (FIVI) for waterbird populations in the wetlands of the Bengaluru region
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Rajashekara, S., Venkatesha, M.G. Impact of Urban Threats and Disturbance on the Survival of Waterbird Communities in Wetlands of Bengaluru City, India. Proc Zool Soc 71, 336–351 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12595-017-0217-z

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