Movements of frugivorous birds among fragmented rainforests in the Northern Territory, Australia

Price, Owen

doi:10.1071/wr06029

Cited by 17 publications

(18 citation statements)

References 37 publications

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“…Panetta and Sparkes 2001). Although birds transport seeds over long distances (Price 2006;Weir and Corlett 2007), most seeds tend to fall within 25 m of the parent plant (Wenny 2000) and dispersal beyond 60 m is rare (Clark et al 2005). Like previous studies, our results showed a significant decrease in seed rain within less than 50 m of a seed source.…”

Section: Shrub Regrowthsupporting

confidence: 45%

Variation in exotic and native seed arrival and recruitment of bird dispersed species in subtropical forest restoration and regrowth

White¹,

Vivian‐Smith²,

Barnes

2009

Plant Ecol

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Invasive bird-dispersed plants often share the same suite of dispersers as co-occurring native species, resulting in a complex management issue. Integrated management strategies could incorporate manipulation of dispersal or establishment processes. To improve our understanding of these processes, we quantified seed rain, recruit and seed bank density, and species richness for bird-dispersed invasive and native species in three early successional subtropical habitats in eastern Australia: tree regrowth, shrub regrowth and native restoration plantings. We investigated the effects of environmental factors (leaf area index (LAI), distance to edge, herbaceous ground cover and distance to nearest neighbour) on seed rain, seed bank and recruit abundance. Propagule availability was not always a good predictor of recruitment. For instance, although native tree seed rain density was similar, and species richness was higher, in native plantings, compared with tree regrowth, recruit density and species richness were lower. Native plantings also received lower densities of invasive tree seed rain than did tree regrowth habitats, but supported a similar density of invasive tree recruits. Invasive shrub seed rain was recorded in highest densities in shrub regrowth sites, but recruit density was similar between habitats. We discuss the role of microsite characteristics in influencing postdispersal processes and recruit composition, and suggest ways of manipulating these processes as part of an integrated management strategy for birddispersed weeds in natural areas.

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Section: Shrub Regrowthsupporting

confidence: 45%

Variation in exotic and native seed arrival and recruitment of bird dispersed species in subtropical forest restoration and regrowth

White¹,

Vivian‐Smith²,

Barnes

2009

Plant Ecol

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“…Several studies demonstrate that large fruit‐eating bird species such as hornbills in South‐East Asia and Africa, and toucans in the Neotropics are able to fly between forest patches of fragmented landscapes and have the potential to act as long‐distance seed dispersers (Kemp ; Powell & Bjork ; Holbrook & Smith ; Graham ; Chaves‐Campos, Arevalo & Araya ; Price ; Kays et al . ; Lenz et al .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Large frugivorous birds facilitate functional connectivity of fragmented landscapes

Mueller

Lenz

Caprano

et al. 2014

Journal of Applied Ecology

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Summary1. Quantifying ecosystem functions in spatially explicit ways is important for management decisions in increasingly fragmented landscapes. Between-patch dispersal of seeds by frugivores constitutes a key ecosystem function to ensure connectivity for fleshy-fruited plants. However, to date, methodological hurdles have limited our understanding of dispersal pathways on the landscape scale. 2. We made use of newly available tracking devices and combined movement data of 30 trumpeter hornbills Bycanistes bucinator with gut passage times and high-resolution habitat data in a fragmented forest landscape in South Africa. We identified each potential seed dispersal path and distinguished whether potential seed transport happened to a different forest patch (between-patch dispersal), within the same patch (within-patch dispersal) or into the habitat matrix (failed dispersal). To quantify functional landscape connectivity, we identified all possible between-patch connections and used graph networks to estimate landscape connectivity provided by hornbills. 3. Although potential between-patch dispersal events were rare (on average 7% compared to 20% failed dispersal and 73% within-patch dispersal), hornbills could cover distances of up to 15 km. Hornbills visited over 100 forest patches and connected a habitat network with an extent of about 50 km, which increased the potential functional connectivity of the landscape more than twofold. 4. We identified habitat patches that were critical stepping stones for seed dispersal pathways. Without these stepping stones, the network would likely disintegrate into separated components and lead to isolation of forest fragments. 5. Synthesis and applications. We showed that large frugivorous birds can greatly improve functional connectivity for fleshy-fruited plants across broad scales, linking habitat patches in fragmented forest landscapes. Combining high-resolution movement and landscape data in graph networks allows identifying seed dispersal pathways and critical stepping stones in fragmented landscapes. This approach addresses the general challenge of spatially explicit mapping of ecosystem services and can be widely incorporated in reserve design and landscape-level conservation planning.

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“…In Kakadu National Park, for example, the abundance of figbirds was found to be associated closely with availability of fruit (Woinarski 1993). In another Northern Territory study, Figbirds undertook inter-patch flights as far as 10.5 km with most of these movements occurring after the fruit resource had been exhausted in the original patch (Price 2006). Their reliance on widely distributed and temporary food resources could pre-adapt frugivores to respond to localized storm-induced food shortages through emigration ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 92%

The impact of Tropical Cyclone Larry on bird communities in fragments of the endangered rainforest Type 5b

Freeman¹,

Pias

Vinson³

2008

Austral Ecology

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Bird surveys were conducted to assess the impact of a severe cyclone on bird communities in three fragments of the endangered rainforest Type 5b on the Atherton Tablelands of far north Queensland. Bird communities were surveyed using timed area searches in three sites in each of the three fragments and were undertaken prior to and following Tropical Cyclone Larry. Cyclone Larry caused short-term changes in the abundance of some species of birds in Type 5b rainforest fragments. Two weeks after the storm, in two of three fragments surveyed, abundance of the frugivorous wompoo fruit-dove (Ptilinopus magnificus) and figbird (Sphecotheres viridis) had decreased while the omnivorous Macleay's honeyeater (Xanthotis macleayana) and Lewin's honeyeater (Meliphaga lewinii) decreased in abundance in all three locations. Most insectivorous species increased in some sites and decreased in others following Cyclone Larry. Rapid recovery of bird communities to approximately their pre-cyclone state after only 7 months appeared to reflect the capacity of species to either modify their foraging behaviour, switch foods, or to move within or between fragments or to other food sources in the landscape.

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Movements of frugivorous birds among fragmented rainforests in the Northern Territory, Australia

Cited by 17 publications

References 37 publications

Variation in exotic and native seed arrival and recruitment of bird dispersed species in subtropical forest restoration and regrowth

Variation in exotic and native seed arrival and recruitment of bird dispersed species in subtropical forest restoration and regrowth

Large frugivorous birds facilitate functional connectivity of fragmented landscapes

The impact of Tropical Cyclone Larry on bird communities in fragments of the endangered rainforest Type 5b

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