Fruit Color Choices of Captive Silvereyes (Zosterops lateralis)

Puckey, Helen; Lill, Alan; O'Dowd, Dennis Jefferie

doi:10.2307/1369858

Cited by 57 publications

(64 citation statements)

References 22 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Color preferences and fidelity have been reported in previous studies (e.g. Puckey et al, 1996;Whitney, 2005); however, this may be transient and strongly depend upon the environment (Schmidt et al, 2004). Then, we may predict a non-random variation in fruit choice, based not only by colors but also due to the contrast that each color has in different background, which varies in areas having different luminosities.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 57%

Fruit color preference by birds and applications to ecological restoration

2016

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Ecological restoration aims to retrieve not only the structure but also the functionality of ecosystems. Frugivorous birds may play an important role in this process due to their efficiency in seed dispersal. Color perception in these animals is highly developed, and then the colors of fleshy fruits may provide important clues for choosing plant species for restoration plans. This study aims to integrate bird color preferences and restoration of degraded areas, with an objective to evaluate the potential attractiveness to birds by colored fruits. We carried out an experiment with 384 artificial fruits made of edible modeling clay with the following colors: black, blue, green and red, with 96 fruits of each color in six sites, including four restored areas and two second-growth forest fragments. We also tested the possible effect of light intensity on fruit consumption by color. A total of 120 (38.6%) were assumed to be consumed by birds, and the fruit consumption varied in response to the location and light incidence. Consumption of black and blue fruits was not related to site by chance. Notwithstanding, red and black fruits were consumed significantly more than any other colors, emphasizing bird preference to these colors, regardless of location. Enrichment with shade tolerant shrubs or forest species with black or red fruits may be an alternative way to manage established restorations. In recently established or new restorations, one may introduce pioneer shrubs or short-lived forest species which have blue fruits, but also those having black or red ones.Keywords: artificial fruits, Atlantic Forest, frugivory, ecological succession, color perception. Preferência de cor de frutos por aves e aplicações à restauração ecológica ResumoA restauração ecológica tem a finalidade de recuperar não apenas a estrutura, mas também a funcionalidade dos ecossistemas, e as aves frugívoras podem desempenhar um papel importante neste processo devido à sua eficiência na dispersão de sementes. Como a percepção da cor nestes animais é altamente desenvolvida, a cor dos frutos carnosos pode ser uma característica importante na escolha de espécies de plantas para os reflorestamentos. Este estudo tem como foco integrar a preferência de cor de frutos por aves e a recuperação de áreas degradadas, objetivando determinar a atratividade potencial de aves por frutos de cores diferentes. Foi realizado um experimento com 384 frutos artificiais feitos com massa de modelar comestível nas cores preta, azul, verde e vermelha, com um total de 96 frutos em cada cor em seis locais, incluindo quatro áreas restauradas e dois fragmentos de floresta secundária. Também foi testado o possível efeito da intensidade de luz sobre o consumo de frutos conforme as cores. Um total de 120 (38,6%) frutos foi considerado consumido pelas aves, e o consumo variou em resposta aos locais e incidência de luz. O consumo de frutos pretos e azuis foi significativamente relacionado com o local. Os frutos vermelhos e pretos foram significativamente mais consumidos do...

show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 57%

Fruit color preference by birds and applications to ecological restoration

2016

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Although frugivore preferences among colored fruits are found in laboratory tests (Willson & Comet, 1993;Puckey et al, 1996;Giles & Lill, 1999), color preferences are infrequently found in field studies under natural conditions (Willson & O´Down, 1989;Traveset & Willson, 1998;Traveset et al, 2001). Whitney & Stanton (2004) studying Acacia ligulata in Australia suggested that pleiotropic effects may be a common feature on fruit color polymorphism, and that frugivores may not always be the most important.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Studies evaluating fruit-color selection by birds are usually conducted with captive birds which might be influence the birds' choice (e.g. Willson & Comet, 1993;Puckey et al, 1996;Giles & Lill, 1999). An alternative in this case is the use of artificial fruits in field experiments.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Rapid assessment of fruit-color selection by birds using artificial fruits at local scale in Central Amazonia

2008

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Modeling clays have been used in several ecological experiments and have proved to be an important tool to variables control. The objective of our study was to determine if fruit color in isolated and grouped displays influences the fruit selection by birds in the field using artificial fruits. Data were collected in six plots distributed homogeneously in 3 km long trails with a minimum distance of 0.5 km. We used a paired experimental design to establish our experiments, so that all treatments were available to the local bird community in each plot. Overall, red was more pecked than brown and white. Isolated red and brown displays were significantly more pecked than others display. Even though our study was conducted in small spatial scales, artificial fruits appeared to be efficient in register fruit consumption attempts by bird. Although inconclusive about selective forces that sharp the dynamics of fruit color polymorphisms and choice by frugivorous birds, our findings corroborate recent studies wherein birds showed preferences by high-over low-contrast fruit signals.KEYWORDS: Fruit color, Paired experimental design, Background foliage coloration, Contrast hypothesis. Utilização de frutos artificiais para avaliar seleção de cores por aves em escala local na Amazônia Central RESUMOAtualmente o uso de massa de modelar tem sido amplamente utilizado para testar várias hipóteses ecológicas. O objetivo deste trabalho foi determinar se cores de frutos artificiais dispostos isoladamente nos ramos, ou em agregação, influenciaram a escolha das aves. Coletamos os dados em seis parcelas distribuídas homogeneamente em uma trilha de 3 km. Nós usamos desenho experimental pareado, de modo que todos os tratamentos estavam disponíveis para a comunidade local de aves em cada parcela. Os frutos artificiais vermelhos foram mais bicados do que marrons e brancos. Separando-se nos dois diferentes arranjos, vermelhos e marrons isolados foram significativamente mais bicados de que os outros arranjos. Embora nosso estudo tenha sido realizado em pequena escala espacial, frutos artificiais foram eficientes em registrar tentativas de consumo pelas aves. Embora não conclusivo a respeito da pressão seletiva que molda a dinâmica de polimorfismos nas cores dos frutos, bem como dos padrões de escolha pelos frugívoros, nosso trabalho corrobora recentes estudos onde aves preferiram frutos com maior contraste em relação à coloração de fundo imposta pela vegetação.

show abstract

“…Willson & Whelan (1990, and references therein) suggest that common fruit colours may re£ect preferences in frugivores, may be more easily learned by birds, may work best for long-distance advertisements, may indicate fruit maturity or may be mimics of more pro¢table fruits. Although wild-caught frugivorous birds have sometimes been shown to prefer red fruit (McPherson 1988;Willson 1994;Puckey et al 1996;Hartley et al 2000), it is not clear whether this behaviour is innate or learned.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…For instance, red coloration is often used to signal avoidance in the case of warning coloration (Cott 1940;Edmunds 1974;Guilford 1990) and, at the same time, it is a common fruit colour that works to attract frugivorous birds and mammals for seed dispersal (Ridley 1930;Puckey et al 1996). It could be argued that many ripe fruits also have a signi¢cant ultraviolet component in their signals, and thereby they may di¡er from insects.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Reconstruction of the historical changes in mycorrhizal fungal communities under anthropogenic nitrogen deposition

Gamberale‐Stille

Tullberg²

2001

Proceedings: Biological Sciences

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Colours are common stimuli in signalling systems. Requirements to function well as a signal sometimes con£ict between di¡erent signallers, and the same colour stimulus is used to convey completely di¡erent messages to the same receiver. Fruits and aposematic insects both use red coloration as a signal, in the former case to signal pro¢tability and in the latter case as a warning signal. In two experiments, we investigated whether the domestic chick, an omnivorous predator, di¡ered in its unconditioned preference or avoidance of red and green stimuli depending on whether or not the stimulus was an insect. The experiments were designed as preference tests between red and green painted prey. The prey were live insects and arti¢cial fruits (experiment 1), and, to investigate the e¡ect of movement, live and dead insects (experiment 2). The chicks did not show any di¡erence in pecking preference between red and green when fruit-like stimuli were used, but when the prey were insects, green prey were strongly preferred to red prey, and prey movement did not a¡ect this bias. Thus, young chicks may recognize prey as insects and then discriminate between di¡erent prey colorations, or one type of food may elicit an unlearned colour preference^avoidance response that is absent with another type of food.

show abstract

Fruit Color Choices of Captive Silvereyes (Zosterops lateralis)

Cited by 57 publications

References 22 publications

Fruit color preference by birds and applications to ecological restoration

Fruit color preference by birds and applications to ecological restoration

Rapid assessment of fruit-color selection by birds using artificial fruits at local scale in Central Amazonia

Reconstruction of the historical changes in mycorrhizal fungal communities under anthropogenic nitrogen deposition

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About