Nesting niche partitioning between two sympatrically breeding Chlidonias Tern species revealed by remote sensing
Abstract Sympatrically breeding avian species may have similar environmental requirements for nesting sites, resulting in interspecific competition. It may be reduced by partitioning resources in space or/and time, allowing relatively stable coexistence in the shared habitat. Here, we investigated n...
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Nature Portfolio
2025-07-01
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| author | Karolina Cieślińska Brygida Manikowska-Ślepowrońska Krzysztof Ślepowroński Dariusz Jakubas |
| author_facet | Karolina Cieślińska Brygida Manikowska-Ślepowrońska Krzysztof Ślepowroński Dariusz Jakubas |
| author_sort | Karolina Cieślińska |
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| description | Abstract Sympatrically breeding avian species may have similar environmental requirements for nesting sites, resulting in interspecific competition. It may be reduced by partitioning resources in space or/and time, allowing relatively stable coexistence in the shared habitat. Here, we investigated nesting niches of sympatrically breeding, Black Terns (BT, Chlidonias niger) and Whiskered Terns (WT, Chlidonias hybrida) in Druzno Lake (Poland) in 2024. We compared nesting site proximity characteristics between both studied species at two different spatial scales using remotely sensed from drone surveys: (contribution of water and vegetation) and indices derived from satellite imagery: Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) as a proxy for vegetation density, and Normalized Difference Water Index (NDWI) as a proxy for open water contribution. Both species partitioned location (they bred in separate locations) and resources within common breeding ground. BT’s nests were situated significantly closer to the lake shore (mean ± SD 102.25 ± 62.47 m) and further away from each other (mean ± SD 22.22 ± 14.81 m) compared to WTs (mean ± SD 257.24 ± 109.64 m & 11.24 ± 10.67 m, respectively). BTs, unlike WTs prefer to nest in areas with higher open water contribution and lower vegetation density. The nesting niches of BT were wider than those of WT, suggesting that BT use more diversified habitats for breeding. |
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| institution | Kabale University |
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| spelling | doaj-art-eb3f28de2e354b299087fff487ac698c2025-08-20T03:45:28ZengNature PortfolioScientific Reports2045-23222025-07-0115111710.1038/s41598-025-06205-4Nesting niche partitioning between two sympatrically breeding Chlidonias Tern species revealed by remote sensingKarolina Cieślińska0Brygida Manikowska-Ślepowrońska1Krzysztof Ślepowroński2Dariusz Jakubas3Department of Vertebrate Ecology and Zoology, Faculty of Biology, University of GdańskDepartment of Vertebrate Ecology and Zoology, Faculty of Biology, University of GdańskDepartment of Vertebrate Ecology and Zoology, Faculty of Biology, University of GdańskDepartment of Vertebrate Ecology and Zoology, Faculty of Biology, University of GdańskAbstract Sympatrically breeding avian species may have similar environmental requirements for nesting sites, resulting in interspecific competition. It may be reduced by partitioning resources in space or/and time, allowing relatively stable coexistence in the shared habitat. Here, we investigated nesting niches of sympatrically breeding, Black Terns (BT, Chlidonias niger) and Whiskered Terns (WT, Chlidonias hybrida) in Druzno Lake (Poland) in 2024. We compared nesting site proximity characteristics between both studied species at two different spatial scales using remotely sensed from drone surveys: (contribution of water and vegetation) and indices derived from satellite imagery: Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) as a proxy for vegetation density, and Normalized Difference Water Index (NDWI) as a proxy for open water contribution. Both species partitioned location (they bred in separate locations) and resources within common breeding ground. BT’s nests were situated significantly closer to the lake shore (mean ± SD 102.25 ± 62.47 m) and further away from each other (mean ± SD 22.22 ± 14.81 m) compared to WTs (mean ± SD 257.24 ± 109.64 m & 11.24 ± 10.67 m, respectively). BTs, unlike WTs prefer to nest in areas with higher open water contribution and lower vegetation density. The nesting niches of BT were wider than those of WT, suggesting that BT use more diversified habitats for breeding.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-06205-4Colonial nestingNDWINDVISympatric nestingUAVWetlands |
| spellingShingle | Karolina Cieślińska Brygida Manikowska-Ślepowrońska Krzysztof Ślepowroński Dariusz Jakubas Nesting niche partitioning between two sympatrically breeding Chlidonias Tern species revealed by remote sensing Scientific Reports Colonial nesting NDWI NDVI Sympatric nesting UAV Wetlands |
| title | Nesting niche partitioning between two sympatrically breeding Chlidonias Tern species revealed by remote sensing |
| title_full | Nesting niche partitioning between two sympatrically breeding Chlidonias Tern species revealed by remote sensing |
| title_fullStr | Nesting niche partitioning between two sympatrically breeding Chlidonias Tern species revealed by remote sensing |
| title_full_unstemmed | Nesting niche partitioning between two sympatrically breeding Chlidonias Tern species revealed by remote sensing |
| title_short | Nesting niche partitioning between two sympatrically breeding Chlidonias Tern species revealed by remote sensing |
| title_sort | nesting niche partitioning between two sympatrically breeding chlidonias tern species revealed by remote sensing |
| topic | Colonial nesting NDWI NDVI Sympatric nesting UAV Wetlands |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-06205-4 |
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