Abstract Studies of temporal processes at Lake Mývatn, Iceland, on three scales, millennial, centennial and decadal, are reviewed and a summary is presented of the main results of waterfowl population monitoring studies conducted during the past three decades. The characteristics of shallow, subarctic Lake Mývatn and its volcanic environment, are outlined, as well as recent conflicts between development and conservation. Mining of the bottom sediment of Lake Mývatn has been a major agent causing habitat destruction and damage to the food web. Population limitation of waterbirds at Mývatn is discussed, as three research questions and emerging answers: (1) How is reproductive output determined? All species studied showed positive correlations of production of young with levels of aquatic insects, catastrophic weather was rarely important; (2) How is the dispersion of breeding ducks determined? Densities of migratory species are determined mainly by resource levels on the breeding ground in the year before they return to the breeding area; a year-round resident species, Bucephala islandica, adjusts its density to the current availability of insect food in each of two main habitats used; (3) How are flyway populations of ducks determined? For most species, there is not enough information on total numbers and the state of the habitat on a flyway scale. In B. islandica, there are indications that the total population is limited by resources in winter.The Mývatn study area is dominated by a single, shallow and eutrophic lake and for many waterbird species the area seems to form a single functional unit. This leads to significant correlations when comparing demography with environmental conditions, such as food resources.
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Gardarsson, A. (2006). Temporal processes and duck populations: examples from Mývatn. In: Hanson, A.R., Kerekes, J.J. (eds) Limnology and Aquatic Birds. Developments in Hydrobiology, vol 189. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-5556-0_8
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