Ecohydrology, Год журнала: 2025, Номер 18(3)

Опубликована: Апрель 1, 2025

ABSTRACT With global biodiversity in decline, functional metrics help link changes to ecosystem functioning. In wetlands, extreme events like droughts and floods challenge waterbirds, affecting survival reproduction. At Pampean lakes Argentina, hydrological fluctuations are significant. We examined how waterbird diversity responds these at the Melincué Ramsar Site, considering seasonality whether environmental filtering or competition shapes community structure. Using counts from 1992 2019, we calculated richness, evenness, divergence dispersion based on species traits. employed general linear models beta distance assess relationships between indices variables, explore assembly patterns. recorded 71 species. Functional richness decreased by nearly 26% drier years, indicating a loss of trait under reduced conditions. Evenness correlated positively with precipitation negatively lake area, peaking intermediate Standardized Precipitation‐Evapotranspiration Index over 12‐month period (SPEI 12) values. Divergence increased but was lowest SPEI 12 values highest summer. Dispersion peaked areas, increasing summer decreasing winter precipitation. Trait‐convergence patterns (TCAP) analysis showed structure significantly changed marginally significant for not Maximum occurred when neither too high nor low influenced responses. These results highlight as primary driver time underscore need incorporate dynamics into wetland conservation planning.

Язык: Английский