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Variation of the waterbird community relying to the Ichkeul National Park, Tunisia

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Abstract

For the period of 2001–2004, the detailed reaction of a waterbird community to dam building has been assessed in the Ichkeul National Park. Results showed that 71 species belonging to 8 orders were detected. Three herbivorous species were largely dominant: common coot (Fulica atra), common pochard (Aythya ferina), and Eurasian wigeon (Anas penelope). The three community parameters used in the analysis were: species richness, species abundance, and species diversity; which were significantly different between seasons. The wintering season was a key phase when the maximum values of these parameters were reached. This seasonal concentration of activity may be explained by migration. The upstream freshwater diversion was followed by a decrease in the annual abundance of the waterbird community due to the increasing salinity and the severe depletion of the swamp grass, Potamogeton (Potamogeton pectinatus). The total number of species was independent of the local conditions, and the annual variation was related to the number of uncommon species seen in each year.

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Acknowledgements

We wish to thank our colleagues at the Department of Biological Sciences for providing a stimulating and supportive atmosphere in which to analyze data and write this paper. Ours thanks are also due to Pr Alain Tamisier who helped us reach the Ichkeul references. We are grateful to the anonymous reviewers for their helpful comments which added to the clarity of the manuscript. Finally, we declare that the surveys comply with the current Tunisian laws.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Unité de Recherche d’Ecologie Animale et Systématique Evolutive, Département des Sciences Biologiques, Faculté des Sciences de Tunis, Campus Universitaire 2092, Manar II, Tunis, Tunisia

    Nabil Hamdi & Faouzia Charfi

  2. Laboratoire d’Ecologie et Environnement, Université de A/Mira de Bejaia, DZ 06000, Bejaia, Algeria

    Aissa Moali

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  1. Nabil Hamdi
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  2. Faouzia Charfi
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  3. Aissa Moali
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Nabil Hamdi.

Additional information

Communicated by E. Hadjisterkotis

Appendix 1

Appendix 1

List, occurrence, and mean abundance of waterbird populations recorded in Ichkeul National Park through 2001–2004

Table 2
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Hamdi, N., Charfi, F. & Moali, A. Variation of the waterbird community relying to the Ichkeul National Park, Tunisia. Eur J Wildl Res 54, 417–424 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10344-007-0162-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10344-007-0162-7

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