Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-hc48f Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-28T02:17:36.602Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Distribution of the community of frugivorous birds along a successional gradient in a tropical dry forest in south-western Mexico

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  06 November 2014

R. Carlos Almazán-Núñez ,
María del Coro Arizmendi ,
Luis E. Eguiarte  and
Pablo Corcuera
R. Carlos Almazán-Núñez
Affiliation:
Doctorado en Ciencias Biológicas y de la Salud, Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana, Av. San Rafael Atlixco 186, Col. Vicentina Iztapalapa, C.P. 09340, Mexico, D.F.Mexico
María del Coro Arizmendi
Affiliation:
Laboratorio de Ecología, Unidad de Biotecnología y Prototipos, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Mexico, C.P. 05490, Mexico, D.F.Mexico
Luis E. Eguiarte
Affiliation:
Laboratorio de Evolución Molecular y Experimental, Departamento de Ecología Evolutiva, Instituto de Ecología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Mexico, C.P. 04510, Mexico, D.F.Mexico
Pablo Corcuera*
Affiliation:
Departamento de Biología, Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana-Iztapalapa, Av. San Rafael Atlixco 186, Col. Vicentina Iztapalapa, C.P. 09340, Mexico, D.F.Mexico
*
1Corresponding author. Email: pcmr@xanum.uam.mx
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract:

Few reports have described the relationship between the distribution of frugivorous birds and vegetation successional changes in dry forests. We assessed the abundance and behaviour of frugivorous birds in early, intermediate and mature dry forests in the Balsas river basin, Guerrero, Mexico. We selected nine dry-forest fragments, three fragments per stage, in these three stages of succession. We analysed the vegetation, estimated bird abundances in 10-min count periods, and recorded the way birds process fruits in circular plots (11–15 plots per fragment, 123 plots in total). Birds were classified as seed predators (15% of all individuals in this study), pulp consumers (15%) or legitimate dispersers (70%). Bird abundance was higher in mature forests in the dry season, while abundance and richness of legitimate dispersers and seed predators were positively related to vegetation complexity. Mature forests have a high vegetation complexity and a high cover of Bursera species that produce fruit during the dry season. During the rains, abundance was higher in early-successional sites when the zoochorous plants produced fruit. Legitimate disperser migrants (i.e. Tyrannus vociferans, Myiarchus cinerascens and M. tyrannulus) were widespread, helping the establishment of zoochorous trees such as Bursera spp. in early-successional forests.

Keywords

Burseradisturbanceforest successionmigratory birdstyrannidszoochorous trees
Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Tropical Ecology , Volume 31 , Issue 1 , January 2015 , pp. 57 - 68
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2014 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

LITERATURE CITED

ALMAZÁN-NÚÑEZ, R. C., ARIZMENDI, M. C., EGUIARTE, L. E. & CORCUERA, P. 2012. Changes in composition, diversity and structure of woody plants in successional stages of tropical dry forest in southwest Mexico. Revista Mexicana de Biodiversidad 83:1096–1109.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
AOU (AMERICAN ORNITHOLOGISTS’ UNION). 1998. Check-list of North American birds. (Seventh edition). American Ornithologists’ Union, Washington, DC. 829 pp.Google Scholar
BASCOMPTE, J. & JORDANO, P. 2007. Plant-animal mutualistic networks: the architecture of biodiversity. Annual Review of Ecology, Evolution and Systematics 38:567–593.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
CARNICER, J., JORDANO, P. & MELIÁN, C. J. 2009. The temporal dynamics of resource use by fruit-eating birds: a network approach. Ecology 90:1958–1970.Google Scholar
CHAZDON, R. L., HARVEY, C. A., MARTÍNEZ-RAMOS, M., BALVANERA, P., STONER, K. E., SCHONDUBE, J. E., AVILA-CABADILLA, L. D. & FLORES-HIDALGO, M. 2011. Seasonally dry tropical forest biodiversity and conservation value in agricultural landscapes of Mesoamerica. Pp. 195–219 in Dirzo, R., Young, H. S., Mooney, H. A. & Ceballos, G. (eds.). Seasonally dry tropical forest: ecology and conservation. Island Press, Washington, DC.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
COLWELL, R. K. & CODDINGTON, J. A. 1994. Estimating terrestrial biodiversity. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 345:101–118.Google ScholarPubMed
CONNELL, J. H. 1978. Diversity in tropical rain forests and coral reefs. Science 199:1302–1310.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
DING, T. S., LIAO, H. C. & YUAN, H. W. 2008. Breeding bird community composition in different successional vegetation in the montane coniferous forest zone of Taiwan. Forest Ecology and Management 255:2038–2048.Google Scholar
DURÁN-RAMÍREZ, C. A., FONSECA-JUÁREZ, R. M. & IBARRA-MANRÍQUEZ, G. 2010. Estudio florístico de Ficus (Moraceae) en el estado de Guerrero, México. Revista Mexicana de Biodiversidad 81:239–262.Google Scholar
ECHEVERRÍA, C., NEWTON, A. C., LARA, A., BENAYAS, J. M. R. & COOMES, D. A. 2007. Impacts of forest fragmentation on species composition and forest structure in the temperate landscape of southern Chile. Global Ecology and Biogeography 16:426–439.Google Scholar
GALINDO-GONZÁLEZ, J., GUEVARA, S. & SOSA, V. J. 2000. Bat- and bird-generated seed rains at isolated trees in pastures in a tropical rainforest. Conservation Biology 14:1693–1703.Google Scholar
GILLESPIE, T. W. & WALTER, H. 2001. Distribution of bird species richness at a regional scale in tropical dry forest in Central America. Journal of Biogeography 28:651–662.Google Scholar
GODÍNEZ-ÁLVAREZ, H. O., VALIENTE-BANUET, A. & ROJAS-MARTÍNEZ, A. 2002. The role of seed dispersers in the population dynamics of the columnar cactus. Neobuxbaumia tetetzo. Ecology 83:2617–2629.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
GONZÁLEZ-OREJA, J. A., DE LA FUENTE, A. A., HERNÁNDEZ-SANTÍN, L., BUZO-FRANCO, D. & BONACHE-REGIDOR, C. 2010. Evaluación de estimadores no paramétricos de la riqueza de especies. Un ejemplo con aves en áreas verdes de la ciudad de Puebla, México. Animal Biodiversity and Conservation 33:31–45.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
GREENBERG, R., FOSTER, M. S. & MÁRQUEZ-VALDELAMAR, L. 1995. The role of the white-eyed vireo in the dispersal of Bursera fruit on the Yucatan Peninsula. Journal of Tropical Ecology 11:619–639.Google Scholar
GUEVARA, S. & LABORDE, J. 1993. Monitoring seed dispersal at isolated standing trees in tropical pastures: consequences for local species availability. Vegetatio 107/108:319–338.Google Scholar
HERRERA, C. M. 2002. Seed dispersal by vertebrates, Pp. 185–208 in Herrera, C. M. & Pellmyr, O. (eds.). Plant animal interactions: an evolutionary approach. Blackwell Scientific Publications, Oxford.Google Scholar
HERRERA, J. M. & GARCÍA, G. 2009. The role of remnant trees in seed dispersal through the matrix: being alone is not always so sad. Biological Conservation 142:149–158.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
HORTAL, J., BORGES, P. A. & GASPAR, C. 2006. Evaluating the performance of species richness estimators: sensitivity to sample grain size. Journal of Animal Ecology 75:274–287.Google Scholar
HOWELL, S. N. G. & WEBB, S. 1995. A guide to the birds of Mexico and northern Central America. Oxford University Press, New York. 849 pp.Google Scholar
HUTTO, R. L. 1998. On the importance of stopover sites to migrating birds. Auk 115:823–825.Google Scholar
HUTTO, R. L., PLETSCHET, S. M. & HENDRICKS, P. 1986. A fixed-radius point count method for nonbreeding and breeding season use. Auk 103:593–602.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
JAMES, F. C. 1971. Ordinations of habitat relationships among breeding birds. Wilson Bulletin 83:215–236.Google Scholar
JORDANO, P. 1992. Fruits and frugivory. Pp. 105–156 in Fenner, M. (ed.). Seeds: the ecology of regeneration in natural plant communities. CABI, Wallingford.Google Scholar
JORDANO, P. 1995. Spatial and temporal variation in the avian-frugivore assemblage of Prunus mahaleb: patterns and consequences. Oikos 71:479–491.Google Scholar
LASKY, J. R. & KEITT, T. H. 2010. Abundance of Panamanian dry-forest birds along gradients of forest cover at multiple scales. Journal of Tropical Ecology 26:67–78.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
LEVEY, D. J. 1987. Seed size and fruit-handling techniques of avian frugivores. American Naturalist 129:471–485.Google Scholar
LOREA-HERNÁNDEZ, F. G. 2004. Capparaceae. Flora del Bajío y de Regiones Adyacentes. 130:1–31.Google Scholar
MAGURRAN, A. E. 1988. Ecological diversity and its measurement. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge. 192 pp.Google Scholar
MALDONADO-COELHO, M. & MARINI, M. A. 2000. Effects of forest fragment size and successional stage on mixed-species bird flocks in southeastern Brazil. Condor 102:585–594.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
MEZA, L. & LÓPEZ, J. L. 1997. Vegetación y mesoclima de Guerrero. Pp. 1–53 in Diego-Pérez, N. & Fonseca, R. M. (eds.). Estudios florísticos en Guerrero. Facultad de Ciencias, UNAM, Mexico, D.F.Google Scholar
MONTAÑA, C. & EZCURRA, E. 1980. Simple instrument for quick measurement of crown projections. Journal of Forestry 78:699.Google Scholar
MULLER-DOMBOIS, D. & ELLENBERG, H. 1974. Aims and methods of vegetation ecology. John Wiley and Sons, New York. 547 pp.Google Scholar
NEWMARK, W. D. 1991. Tropical forest fragmentation and the local extinction of understory birds in the eastern Usambara mountains, Tanzania. Conservation Biology 5:67–78.Google Scholar
ORTIZ-PULIDO, R. & RICO-GRAY, V. 2006. Seed dispersal of Bursera fagaroides (Burseraceae): the effect of linking environmental factors. Southwestern Naturalist 51:11–21.Google Scholar
ORTIZ-PULIDO, R., LABORDE, J. & GUEVARA, S. 2000. Frugivoría por aves en un paisaje fragmentado: consecuencias en la dispersión de semillas. Biotropica 32:473–488.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
PALOMERA-GARCÍA, C. 2010. Habitat use and local harvesting practices of the Orange-fronted Parakeet (Aratinga canicularis) in western Mexico. Studies on Neotropical Fauna and Environment 45:139–147.Google Scholar
PERALTA, S. 1995. Cañón del Zopilote (área Papalotepec). Pp. 1–37 in Diego-Pérez, N. & Fonseca, R. M. (eds.). Estudios florísticos en Guerrero. Facultad de Ciencias, UNAM, Mexico, D.F.Google Scholar
PORTILLO-QUINTERO, C. & SÁNCHEZ-AZOFEITA, G. A. 2010. Extent and conservation of tropical dry forest in the Americas. Biological Conservation 143:144–155.Google Scholar
QUESADA, M., SÁNCHEZ-AZOFEITA, G. A., ÁLVAREZ-AÑORVE, M., STONER, K. E., AVILA-CABADILLA, L., CALVO-ALVARADO, J., CASTILLO, A., ESPÍRITO-SANTO, M. M., FAGUNDES, M., FERNANDES, G. W., GAMON, J., LOPEZARAIZA-MIKEL, M., LAWRENCE, B., CERDEIRA, L. P., POWERS, J. S., NEVES, F., ROSAS-GUERRERO, V., SAYAGO, R. & SÁNCHEZ-MONTOYA, G. 2009. Succession and management of tropical dry forests in the Americas: review and new perspectives. Forest Ecology and Management 258:1014–1024.Google Scholar
RAMOS-ORDOÑEZ, M. F. & ARIZMENDI, M. C. 2011. Parthenocarpy, attractiveness and seed predation by birds in Bursera morelensis. Journal of Arid Environments 75:757–762.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
RAMOS-ORDOÑEZ, M. F., ARIZMENDI, M. C. & MÁRQUEZ-GUZMÁN, J. 2012. The fruit of Bursera: structure, maturation and parthenocarpy. AoB PLANTS doi: 10.1093/aobpla/pls027.Google Scholar
REYNOLDS, S. T., SCOTT, J. M. & NUSSBAUM, R. A. 1980. A variable circular-plot method for estimating bird numbers. Condor 82:309–313.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
RZEDOWSKI, J., MEDINA, R. & CALDERÓN, G. 2005. Inventario del conocimiento taxonómico, así como de la diversidad y del endemismo regionales de las especies mexicanas de Bursera (Burseraceae). Acta Botánica Mexicana 70:85–111.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
SKUTCH, A. F. 1983. Birds of tropical America. University of Texas Press, Austin. 305 pp.Google Scholar
SMITH, A. L., SALGADO-ORTIZ, J. & ROBERTSON, R. J. 2001. Distribution patterns of migrant and resident birds in successional forests of the Yucatan peninsula, Mexico. Biotropica 33:153–170.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
STORCH, D., GASTON, K. J. & CEPÁK, J. 2002. Pink landscapes: 1/f spectra of spatial environmental variability and bird community composition. Proceedings of the Royal Society London B 269:1791–1796.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
STOUFFER, P. C. & BIERREGAARD, R. O. 1995. Use of Amazonian forest fragments by understory insectivorous birds. Ecology 76:2429–2445.Google Scholar
TELLERÍA, J. L., RAMÍREZ, A. & PÉREZ-TRIS, J. 2005. Conservation of seed-dispersing migrant birds in Mediterranean habitats: shedding light on patterns to preserve processes. Biological Conservation 124:493–502.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
TER BRAAK, C. J. F. & VERDONSHOT, P. F. M. 1995. Canonical correspondence analysis and related multivariate methods in aquatic ecology. Aquatic Sciences 57:255–289.Google Scholar
TRAVESET, A. 1994. Influence of type of avian frugivory on the fitness of Pistacia terebinthus. Evolutionary Ecology 8:618–627.Google Scholar