Status of Avifaunal diversity during surface water changes in the Ramsar site: Macta Marshes (north-west Algeria)

Status of Avifaunal diversity during surface water changes in the Ramsar site: Macta Marshes (north-west Algeria) | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Status of Avifaunal diversity during surface water changes in the Ramsar site: Macta Marshes (north-west Algeria) Ahmed Megharbi, Laid BOUCHAALA, Réda Kechairi, Mohammed El Amine Bentaallah, and 3 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-8994362/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Under Review Version 1 posted 6 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract The Macta marshes in Algeria are facing increasing environmental pressure. This study investigated the impact of climate change on waterbirds in the Macta over a decade (2014–2024). We combined bird surveys with satellite data and climate analysis. Results revealed a drastic loss of surface water (98.97%) associated with declines in bird populations. 50 species were identified, dominated by Anatidae and Scolopacidae . Statistical analysis revealed a negative link between drought and bird abundance decline p < 0.001. These findings underscore the urgent need for adaptive conservation strategies in the Macta wetland. Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Under Review Version 1 posted Reviews received at journal 08 May, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 01 May, 2026 Reviewers invited by journal 21 Apr, 2026 Editor assigned by journal 03 Mar, 2026 Submission checks completed at journal 01 Mar, 2026 First submitted to journal 28 Feb, 2026 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-8994362","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":631374845,"identity":"3dcda654-93ca-4462-a986-53b0bb5e761f","order_by":0,"name":"Ahmed Megharbi","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"University Ahmed Zabana","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Ahmed","middleName":"","lastName":"Megharbi","suffix":""},{"id":631374846,"identity":"648e79c7-b8dc-4934-a410-20c4dd7757e0","order_by":1,"name":"Laid BOUCHAALA","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAAA2klEQVRIiWNgGAWjYDACdh4QeQDIYGB8AGTx8BHUwgzTwszAbADSwkaKFjYJEJOgFt1m3oOPeWruyPM3Mz+r/JpjJ8PGwPzw0Q08WswO8yUb8xx7ZjjjMJvZbdltyUCHsRkb5+DVwmMmzdtwmLHhMIPZbcltzEAtPGzSxGixn3+Y/Vux5LZ64rUkbgAyGD9uO0yMFr5kwznHDidvPMxTLM247TgPGzMhvxzvPfjgTc1h23nH2zd+/Lmt2p6fvfnhY3xaUAAkjpiJVQ4CjD9IUT0KRsEoGAUjBgAAu5NEJhlzrIgAAAAASUVORK5CYII=","orcid":"","institution":"Environmental Research Center","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Laid","middleName":"","lastName":"BOUCHAALA","suffix":""},{"id":631374847,"identity":"84628a05-02dc-4357-a9e9-600c144e9794","order_by":2,"name":"Réda Kechairi","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"University of Abou Bekr Belkaïd","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Réda","middleName":"","lastName":"Kechairi","suffix":""},{"id":631374848,"identity":"de18d583-b796-4ec8-8d38-bf816b0447b9","order_by":3,"name":"Mohammed El Amine Bentaallah","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"University Ahmed Zabana","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Mohammed","middleName":"El Amine","lastName":"Bentaallah","suffix":""},{"id":631374849,"identity":"01631df8-3b48-4f91-8aca-b030277883b8","order_by":4,"name":"Ines Houhamdi","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"University of Guelma","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Ines","middleName":"","lastName":"Houhamdi","suffix":""},{"id":631374850,"identity":"64339cfa-3017-4494-9a92-58ac94df34a0","order_by":5,"name":"Noureddine Bedda","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Université Mustapha Stambouli de Mascara","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Noureddine","middleName":"","lastName":"Bedda","suffix":""},{"id":631374851,"identity":"c629051d-e8bc-41a3-8639-21d67e2a41ee","order_by":6,"name":"Moussa Houhamdi","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"University of Guelma","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Moussa","middleName":"","lastName":"Houhamdi","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2026-02-28 10:23:41","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":"","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-8994362/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-8994362/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[],"financialInterests":"No competing interests reported.","formattedTitle":"Status of Avifaunal diversity during surface water changes in the Ramsar site: Macta Marshes (north-west Algeria)","fulltext":[],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":false,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":false,"hideJournal":false,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":false,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":true,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":true,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"wetlands-ecology-and-management","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"wetl","sideBox":"Learn more about [Wetlands Ecology and Management](https://www.springer.com/journal/11273)","snPcode":"11273","submissionUrl":"https://submission.nature.com/new-submission/11273/3","title":"Wetlands Ecology and Management","twitterHandle":"","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":true,"editorialSystem":"em","reportingPortfolio":"Springer Hybrid","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":false},"keywords":"","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-8994362/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-8994362/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003eThe Macta marshes in Algeria are facing increasing environmental pressure. 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