Visualizing Waterbird-Aquatic Invertebrate Linkages in a Restoring Coastal Wetland

Wetland restoration is often evaluated using vegetation and hydrology metrics, yet faunal response provides key insight into ecosystem recovery. At North Campus Open Space (NCOS), a UCSB-managed restoration site encompassing the upper arms of the Devereux Slough, estuarine water is present across the landscape, but bird use is uneven - raising the question of what structures these communities? Using spatially-explicit waterbird data from monthly surveys and quarterly aquatic invertebrate monitoring, a GIS-based analysis identifies spatio-temporal patterns of waterbirds at NCOS and infers trophic relationships across habitat zones. Bird assemblages align with salinity, inundation, and invertebrate availability: shallow, more saline zones support shorebird foraging, while deeper, less saline areas favor waterfowl. Results suggest that food web structures - not just water presence - drive habitat use, informing management strategy at NCOS and coastal wetland restoration more broadly