Wintering diving duck populations in the Öresund, Southern Sweden, in relation to available food Resources.

• Intensive surveys of staging and wintering diving ducks in the Öresund area,southern Sweden, were undertaken during the winters 1995/96, 1996/97 and1997/98 as a part of the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) related to theestablishment of a Fixed Link (bridge–tunnel–artificial island) between Swedenand Denmark. Monitoring of the benthic fauna made it possible to compare thecalculated food requirements of the diving duck populations with their foodresources. Overall, the diving ducks (mainly Tufted Duck Aythya fuligula, ScaupAythya marila and Goldeneye Bucephala clangula) consumed between 2.6% and4.6 % of the standing crop of suitable food organisms. It is, however, probable that higher proportions of the prey are consumed in the shallowest areas compared to areas with deeper water. A prolonged period of ice cover during one of the study years made a large proportion of the feeding areas unavailable, but the main mussel beds were still free of ice because of strong currents so this had only limited impact on the food availability for the ducks.

Ämnesord

NATURVETENSKAP  -- Biologi -- Zoologi (hsv//swe)

NATURAL SCIENCES  -- Biological Sciences -- Zoology (hsv//eng)

NATURVETENSKAP  -- Biologi -- Ekologi (hsv//swe)

NATURAL SCIENCES  -- Biological Sciences -- Ecology (hsv//eng)

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