Nectar: an energy drink used by European songbirds during spring migration

Cecere, Jacopo G.; Spina, Fernando; Jenni-Eiermann, Susanne; Boitani, Luigi

doi:10.1007/s10336-011-0675-4

Cited by 30 publications

(26 citation statements)

References 35 publications

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“…The Meliphagidae (honeyeaters), in particular, showed a high frequency of DMs. In Europe, specifically, some birds visit flowers opportunistically (da Silva et al 2014) depending upon the season (Cecere et al 2011). In the Palearctic, with no nectarivorous species (da Silva et al 2017), DMs involving birds are scarce.…”

Section: Traits Of the Double Mutualistsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Global patterns of the double mutualism phenomenon

Fuster¹,

Kaiser‐Bunbury

Olesen

et al. 2018

Ecography

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A double mutualism (DM) occurs when two interacting species benefit each other in two different functions, e.g. when an animal species acts both as pollinator and seed disperser of the same plant. Besides the double benefit, a DM also imposes a larger risk to both functions if the performance of one partner declines. We conducted the first global review of DMs involving pollinators and seed dispersers, aiming to: 1) assess their prevalence across ecosystems and biogeographical regions; 2) identify the main plant and animal taxa, and their traits, implicated in DMs; and 3) evaluate the conservation status of double mutualist species. We compiled published and unpublished DM records using specific search terms, noting the species involved, their conservation status and geographic location, as well as the type of study (species vs communitylevel) in which the DM was detected. We identified 302 DM cases involving 207 plant and 92 animal species from 16 mainland and 17 island areas. Most records come from tropical regions and islands. Animals included birds (62%), mammals (22%), and reptiles (16%), mostly opportunist species; only 18% were nectarivores. Plants were mainly fleshy-fruited shrub or tree species (59%) with actinomorphic flowers that were visited by several or many pollinator species (87%). Most (56%) DMs were detected in community-level studies. DMs are mostly prevalent in ecosystems with limited food resources and mutualist partners, and with high generalization levels. Nearly 30% of the species involved in DMs are threatened according to IUCN criteria, 68% of which are found on islands. The high prevalence of DM on islands paired with the threat status of island species suggest that the loss of a double mutualists and its cascading consequences may have a severe impact on community composition and functioning of fragile island ecosystems.

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Section: Traits Of the Double Mutualistsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Global patterns of the double mutualism phenomenon

Fuster¹,

Kaiser‐Bunbury

Olesen

et al. 2018

Ecography

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“…Nectar composition could also be influencing the observed high visitation rate. One of the defining characteristics of bird pollinated flowers is that they produce copious and dilute nectar (usually 20-25%), and several hypotheses have been proposed to account this phenomenon related to more efficient extraction, to discourage bees or the water requirements of birds (Nicolson et al 2007, Johnson & Nicolson, 2008, Cecere et al 2011). In the Canary Islands water availability for birds is in general low, especially in the summer months, when the century plant flowers.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Some evidence such as feeding behaviour, pollen traces on the head, and the presence of pollen and sugar remains in droppings of European warblers Sylvia spp. suggest that the main target on flowers is nectar rather than pollen (Schwilch et al 2001, Cecere et al 2011, da Silva et al 2014. No evidence for Canarian birds feeding on pollen exists ).…”

Section: Study Area and Speciesmentioning

confidence: 92%

Nectar and pollen of the invasive century plantAgave americanaas a food resource for endemic birds

Rodríguez¹,

Sivério²,

Siverio³

et al. 2015

Bird Study

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“…Because nectar and sap are similar resources in terms of energy and nutritional characteristics, the sugars present in the sap provide occasional nectarivores with the energy they need at critical periods (Cecere et al 2011). However, the ability to access sap from plants is not enough, since sucrose, the principal sugar in sap, must be hydrolyzed into simple sugars by enzymes bound to the intestinal membrane (sucrase-isomaltase or sucrase) to be absorbed and assimilated (Schondube and Martínez del Rio 2004).…”

Section: Relationship Between Avian Assemblage Structure and The Use mentioning

confidence: 99%

Sap Consumption by the White-fronted Woodpecker and Its Role in Avian Assemblage Structure in Dry Forests

2013

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Abstract. The White-fronted Woodpecker (Melanerpes cactorum) drills holes in branches and trunks to feed on sap flows, providing an energy-rich food resource for other birds. Here we describe ecological and behavioral traits of the White-fronted Woodpecker related to its sap-feeding habits in the semiarid Chaco of Argentina and explore the structure of the avian assemblage in relation to the sap resource. Sap consumption by the White-fronted Woodpecker and other sap-feeding species was strongly seasonal and positively associated with periods of resource scarcity. The White-fronted Woodpecker actively defended the sap wells from smaller birds. Specialist and facultative nectarivores that assimilate sucrose at a high rate represented an important proportion of sap-feeding birds. In this system of woodpecker, sap, and other sap-feeding species, each species' consumption depends on its physiological and behavioral characteristics as well as on the availability of other food in the surrounding environment.

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Nectar: an energy drink used by European songbirds during spring migration

Cited by 30 publications

References 35 publications

Global patterns of the double mutualism phenomenon

Global patterns of the double mutualism phenomenon

Nectar and pollen of the invasive century plantAgave americanaas a food resource for endemic birds

Sap Consumption by the White-fronted Woodpecker and Its Role in Avian Assemblage Structure in Dry Forests

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