Understanding the drivers of reproductive patterns in beach-nesting shorebirds is essential for conservation in dynamic coastal systems. This study evaluated the influence of atmospheric, geomorphological, and anthropogenic factors on egg abundance and nesting patterns across four distinct areas of the Rockaway Peninsula, New York. Descriptive analyses revealed clear spatial structuring of nesting communities. Colonial species (Common Tern and Least Tern) formed dense aggregations, whereas territorial species (Piping Plover and American Oystercatcher) maintained greater spacing among nests. Nest placement relative to the high tide line, vegetation, and human infrastructure reflected trade-offs among flooding risk, predator detection, habitat availability, and disturbance. A Poisson generalized linear model identified maximum temperature as the dominant factor associated with egg abundance, showing a consistent negative relationship. Elevation had a significant and positive but secondary effect, likely related to reduced flooding risk and higher nesting locations. These patterns were consistent across complementary modeling approaches, including Random Forest analysis. Overall, thermal conditions and coastal microtopography emerged as key determinants of reproductive patterns, highlighting the sensitivity of shorebirds to warming and the importance of maintaining suitable nesting habitat in urbanized coastal systems.
","abstract_html":"<p>Understanding the drivers of reproductive patterns in beach-nesting shorebirds is essential for conservation in dynamic coastal systems. This study evaluated the influence of atmospheric, geomorphological, and anthropogenic factors on egg abundance and nesting patterns across four distinct areas of the Rockaway Peninsula, New York. Descriptive analyses revealed clear spatial structuring of nesting communities. Colonial species (Common Tern and Least Tern) formed dense aggregations, whereas territorial species (Piping Plover and American Oystercatcher) maintained greater spacing among nests. Nest placement relative to the high tide line, vegetation, and human infrastructure reflected trade-offs among flooding risk, predator detection, habitat availability, and disturbance. A Poisson generalized linear model identified maximum temperature as the dominant factor associated with egg abundance, showing a consistent negative relationship. Elevation had a significant and positive but secondary effect, likely related to reduced flooding risk and higher nesting locations. These patterns were consistent across complementary modeling approaches, including Random Forest analysis. Overall, thermal conditions and coastal microtopography emerged as key determinants of reproductive patterns, highlighting the sensitivity of shorebirds to warming and the importance of maintaining suitable nesting habitat in urbanized coastal systems.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Gutierrez, Rolando A"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Master of Science (M.S.)","degree_level":"Thesis","degree_discipline":"Earth and Atmospheric Sciences","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Mark Hauber","Ivana Novcic","Diomaris Padilla"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2026,"date_issued":"2026-01-01T08:00:00Z","date_published":"2026-01-01T08:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T01:58:13Z","subjects":["Shorebird reproductive ecology","Urban–coastal gradient","Nest-site selection","Coastal geomorphology (elevation","tidal exposure)","Thermal effects on reproduction (temperature–clutch dynamics)","Poisson GLM and spatial habitat modeling","Behavior and Ethology"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://academicworks.cuny.edu/cc_etds_theses/1307","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Mark Hauber","Ivana Novcic","Diomaris Padilla"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Gutierrez, Rolando A"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2026-11-11T08:00:00Z"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Earth and Atmospheric Sciences"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Thesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Master of Science (M.S.)"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Shorebird reproductive ecology","Urban–coastal gradient","Nest-site selection","Coastal geomorphology (elevation","tidal exposure)","Thermal effects on reproduction (temperature–clutch dynamics)","Poisson GLM and spatial habitat modeling","Behavior and Ethology"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://academicworks.cuny.edu/cc_etds_theses/1307"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["Understanding the drivers of reproductive patterns in beach-nesting shorebirds is essential for conservation in dynamic coastal systems. This study evaluated the influence of atmospheric, geomorphological, and anthropogenic factors on egg abundance and nesting patterns across four distinct areas of the Rockaway Peninsula, New York. Descriptive analyses revealed clear spatial structuring of nesting communities. Colonial species (Common Tern and Least Tern) formed dense aggregations, whereas territorial species (Piping Plover and American Oystercatcher) maintained greater spacing among nests. Nest placement relative to the high tide line, vegetation, and human infrastructure reflected trade-offs among flooding risk, predator detection, habitat availability, and disturbance. A Poisson generalized linear model identified maximum temperature as the dominant factor associated with egg abundance, showing a consistent negative relationship. Elevation had a significant and positive but secondary effect, likely related to reduced flooding risk and higher nesting locations. These patterns were consistent across complementary modeling approaches, including Random Forest analysis. Overall, thermal conditions and coastal microtopography emerged as key determinants of reproductive patterns, highlighting the sensitivity of shorebirds to warming and the importance of maintaining suitable nesting habitat in urbanized coastal systems.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Atmospheric and spatial drivers of egg abundance in beach nesting shorebirds across an urban-coastal gradient of the Rockaway Peninsula, New York"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Mark Hauber","Ivana Novcic","Diomaris Padilla"],"dc:creator":["Gutierrez, Rolando A"],"dc:date.available":["2026-11-11T08:00:00Z"],"dc:description.abstract":["Understanding the drivers of reproductive patterns in beach-nesting shorebirds is essential for conservation in dynamic coastal systems. This study evaluated the influence of atmospheric, geomorphological, and anthropogenic factors on egg abundance and nesting patterns across four distinct areas of the Rockaway Peninsula, New York. Descriptive analyses revealed clear spatial structuring of nesting communities. Colonial species (Common Tern and Least Tern) formed dense aggregations, whereas territorial species (Piping Plover and American Oystercatcher) maintained greater spacing among nests. Nest placement relative to the high tide line, vegetation, and human infrastructure reflected trade-offs among flooding risk, predator detection, habitat availability, and disturbance. A Poisson generalized linear model identified maximum temperature as the dominant factor associated with egg abundance, showing a consistent negative relationship. Elevation had a significant and positive but secondary effect, likely related to reduced flooding risk and higher nesting locations. These patterns were consistent across complementary modeling approaches, including Random Forest analysis. Overall, thermal conditions and coastal microtopography emerged as key determinants of reproductive patterns, highlighting the sensitivity of shorebirds to warming and the importance of maintaining suitable nesting habitat in urbanized coastal systems.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://academicworks.cuny.edu/cc_etds_theses/1307"],"dc:subject":["Shorebird reproductive ecology","Urban–coastal gradient","Nest-site selection","Coastal geomorphology (elevation","tidal exposure)","Thermal effects on reproduction (temperature–clutch dynamics)","Poisson GLM and spatial habitat modeling","Behavior and Ethology"],"dc:title":["Atmospheric and spatial drivers of egg abundance in beach nesting shorebirds across an urban-coastal gradient of the Rockaway Peninsula, New York"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Earth and Atmospheric Sciences"],"thesis:degree_level":["Thesis"],"thesis:degree_name":["Master of Science (M.S.)"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T01:58:13Z"}