Florivory on an alien tree as a potential case of biotic resistance provided by urban parrots

Silva, Paulo Antonio; Silva, Larissa Lais; Cherutte, Amanda Graciela; Gomes, Ana Caroline Silva; Brito, Lucilene; Rodrigues, Bruno Magro; Santos, Stephanie Teles; Santos, Lucas Sobral

doi:10.1007/s11252-023-01415-y

Cited by 2 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 81 publications

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“…As wildlife‐focused social media platforms continue gaining traction (Liberatore et al., 2018), citizen science has become an increasingly potent tool for studying Psitacidae. Such beautiful and threatened bird family (Berkunsky et al., 2017), commonly recognized as parrots or psittacines, fulfil numerous ecological roles, including pollination, florivory, seed predation, and seed dispersal, potentially regulating native and alien plants (Bahia et al., 2022; Blanco et al., 2018; Carrete et al., 2022; Renton et al., 2015; Silva et al., 2023). Social media platforms serve as a vast repository of visual data capturing parrots in their interactions with food plants.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Revealing new insights into Red‐bellied Macaw foraging ecology through citizen photography

Silva,

da Silva Júnior,

Santos

et al. 2024

Austral Ecology

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Social media platforms focused on wildlife photography have become valuable ecological data sources through citizen science. In this study, we utilized photos shared by citizens on iNaturalist and WikiAves to analyse the interactions of the Red‐bellied Macaw (Orthopsittaca manilatus Boddaert, 1783) with its food plants. Despite being recognized as specialists in Mauritia flexuosa L.f. palm fruits, our findings suggest some flexibility in the foraging behaviour of the macaws. The photos indicate that palm fruits are an essential food source (20 taxa; highlight the native species M. flexuosa, Euterpe spp., Elaeis oleifera, and Syagrus spp.) in the Cerrado and Amazon biomes. It also confirms the predominance of M. flexuosa ripe pulp fruits in their diet, encompassing 45.2% of the 414 analysed photographs. The results highlight the potential role of the Red‐bellied Macaw in seed dispersal (stomatochory) for various palm species and reveal the consumption of new food sources such as flowers (present in 8% of photos) and alien plants, including the fruits of cultivated Livistona chinensis (Jacq.) R. Br. Ex Mart. palm (10.9%). Our photo analysis provided a comprehensive overview of Red‐bellied Macaws feeding in diverse localities (141 municipalities in 15 Brazilian states) and at different times. As a result, there is a consistent seasonal variation in foraging in the strongly seasonal Cerrado biome, for example, feeding on alien‐cultivated palm fruits in urban areas during the driest period, particularly L. chinensis. Through this photographic approach, we expanded knowledge of the macaw's food plants by 85.7%, now encompassing 26 species compared to the initial 14 documented species. This study underscores the relevance of citizen science in obtaining novel dietary data and deepening our understanding of ecological patterns in specialized species, emphasizing the significance of considerate plant‐bird relationships to support conservation efforts.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Revealing new insights into Red‐bellied Macaw foraging ecology through citizen photography

Silva,

da Silva Júnior,

Santos

et al. 2024

Austral Ecology

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Elucidating dietary secrets of the Blue‐headed Macaw, Primolius couloni (Sclater, 1876), through citizen‐sourced photographs

Brito,

Cavalcante,

Santos

et al. 2024

Austral Ecology

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Dietary data are vital for understanding species' resource requirements and ecological roles and supporting conservation efforts. The Blue‐headed Macaw, Primolius couloni, is a vulnerable and endemic species in the Amazon. Due to their rarity, elusive nature, complex forest canopy habitat, and occurrence in remote areas, we minimally know their dietary habits. To address this gap, we analysed photographs of Blue‐headed Macaws posted on wildlife‐focused social media platforms, specifically targeting images that capture foraging behaviour on plants. Photographs depicting the same foraging were included only once, and those where the plants were not identified were discarded. By doing so, we identified 36 distinct foraging events (or photos), primarily taken between July and October, concentrated in specific locations in Peru and Brazil, a potential seasonality in foraging. We documented 27 food plant species and items such as nectar (n = 9 photos), pulp (8), seeds (7), buds, bark (5 each), aril, and leaves (n = 1 photo each). Notably, floral resources, including nectar, are a potentially important food in the driest months. Using Levin's Index (Ba), we identified a broad dietary niche, indicating a generalist feeding strategy with a wide variety of plant species (Ba = 0.69) and food items (Ba = 0.88). Additionally, the study revealed interactions such as florivory, seed predation, bark consumption, and potential mutualistic roles like pollination and seed dispersal. Our photo‐centric approach here expanded the known dietary spectrum of the Blue‐headed Macaw from four to 31 plant species, offering new insights for conservation strategies. We recommend the preservation of identified food plants and suggest using these data to inform habitat restoration efforts that support the macaws' dietary needs and ecological functions. Future research should focus on continuous monitoring of these food plants to deepen our understanding of seasonal foraging trends and ecological interactions and refine conservation approaches.

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Florivory on an alien tree as a potential case of biotic resistance provided by urban parrots

Cited by 2 publications

References 81 publications

Revealing new insights into Red‐bellied Macaw foraging ecology through citizen photography

Revealing new insights into Red‐bellied Macaw foraging ecology through citizen photography

Elucidating dietary secrets of the Blue‐headed Macaw, Primolius couloni (Sclater, 1876), through citizen‐sourced photographs

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