Social Systems in a Tropical Forest Avifauna

Buskirk, William H.

doi:10.1086/283065

Cited by 107 publications

(58 citation statements)

References 22 publications

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“…The convergent patterns of behaviour in a large number of unrelated species suggests commonality in the selective pressure, and it has been argued that the improved security in mixed-species flocks is sufficient to understand the ubiquity of flocks and the behaviour of participants (Buskirk 1976;Thiollay 1999). However this is not sufficient to explain the array of adaptations observed among many species active in flocks.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Morse 1970Morse , 1978Carrascal & Moreno 1992;Krams 1996) and in the tropics (e.g. Davis 1946;Buskirk 1976;Gradwohl & Greenberg 1980;Bell 1982;Munn 1985;Hino 1998;Thiollay & Jullien 1998). Mixedspecies flocks are particularly noted as an important feature of tropical forests, where at times the majority of birds observed are in such flocks rather than apart from them (Latta & Wunderle 1996;King & Rappole 2001).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Mixed-species flocks: an example of niche construction?

Harrison

Whitehouse

2011

Animal Behaviour

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Mixed-species flocks result from co-evolved relationships between participants: interspecific gregariousness that varies in strength in different species pairs or groups. Such inter-specific associations of birds are a characteristic of most avian communities, observed in diverse habitats from forests to grasslands, estuaries to the open ocean, worldwide in both high latitudes and in the tropics. We explore the consequences of mixed-species flocks in shaping the selective environment and discuss whether the participants in flocks should be identified as niche constructors. As a result of the decision to associate with other species, a bird alters its relationship with competitors; potentially gains access to resources; becomes safer from predators; and may change microhabitat use. The recurrent patterns in the behaviour of disparate unrelated species active in mixed-species flocks have led investigators to conclude that similar selective pressures have shaped their behaviour. However mixed-species flocks are variable in their characteristics, the birds active in them are diverse in form and behaviour, and the selective pressures that have shaped their propensity to join mixed-species flocks must be various. In forming mixed-species flocks, species with specialised roles at the centre of flocks are creating a complex social environment that represents an important biotic selective force shaping their own ecology and behaviour, and that of other species within the avian community. In this review we consider how the spectrum of inter-specific relationships in mixed-species flocks make them an interesting focus for further studies of niche construction by relocation.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mixed-species flocks: an example of niche construction?

Harrison

Whitehouse

2011

Animal Behaviour

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“…Krebs 1973) and threat of predation (Fallow et al 2011). Alternately, associating with similar species might be a way for species to obtain group-living benefits, which are normally linked to single-species groups, without suffering the concomitant costs of intraspecific competition (Buskirk 1976;Beauchamp 2002;Péron and Crochet 2009); this pattern is extensively documented in fish schools (Krause and Ruxton 2002). Finally, irrespective of the nature of the benefit, associating with phenotypically similar rather than dissimilar species is likely to minimize the costs of behavioral adjustments that must be made in order to match activity with other flock participants (e.g., Hutto 1988;King and Rappole 2001).…”

Section: Mechanisms Of Flock Assemblymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In cases where intraspecific competition is not strong, positive interactions are expected between conspecifics (McIntire and Fajardo 2011). In cases where strong intraspecific competition prevents association between conspecifics, species might instead choose to associate with similar heterospecifics (Buskirk 1976;Beauchamp 2002;Péron and Crochet 2009). As the costs of interspecific competition increase, association is likely to be observed between more and more dissimilar species.…”

Section: Incorporating Facilitation Between Similar Species Into Commmentioning

confidence: 99%

Positive Relationships between Association Strength and Phenotypic Similarity Characterize the Assembly of Mixed-Species Bird Flocks Worldwide

Sridhar

Srinivasan²,

Askins³

et al. 2012

The American Naturalist

102

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., et al. 2012. Positive relationships between association strength and phenotypic similarity characterize the assembly of mixed-species bird flocks worldwide. American Naturalist 180: 777-90. AuthorsHari Sridhar, Umesh Srinivasan, Robert A. Askins, Julio Cesar Canales-Delgadillo, Chao-Chieh Chen Submitted February 10, 2012; Accepted August 1, 2012; Electronically published MONTH? xx, 2012 Online enhancement: appendix. Dryad data: http://dx.doi.org/10.5061/dryad.th198.abstract: Competition theory predicts that local communities should consist of species that are more dissimilar than expected by chance. We find a strikingly different pattern in a multicontinent data set (55 presence-absence matrixes from 24 locations) on the composition of mixed-species bird flocks, which are important subunits of local bird communities the world over. By using null models and randomization tests followed by meta-analysis, we find the association strengths of species in flocks to be strongly related to similarity in body size and foraging behavior and higher for congeneric compared with noncongeneric species pairs. Given the local spatial scales of our individual analyses, differences in the habitat preferences of species are unlikely to have caused these association patterns; the patterns observed are most likely the outcome of species interactions. Extending group-living and social-information-use theory to a heterospecific context, we discuss potential behavioral mechanisms that lead to positive interactions among similar species in flocks, as well as ways in which competition costs are reduced. Our findings highlight the need to consider positive interactions along with competition when seeking to explain community assembly.

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“…In the tropics, the predominant territorial system is year-round defense of feeding and nesting territories (STUTCHBURY & MORTON 2001). Year-round territoriality is typical of tropical insectivorous birds (BUSKIRK 1976) and arthropod resources are defensible because they are more or less evenly distributed spatially and temporally (STUTCHBURY & MORTON 2001). However, territory size may change over the season independently of food abundance.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Territory size of three Antbirds (Aves, Passeriformes) in an Atlantic Forest fragment in southeastern Brazil

2006

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Territory size is an important ecological attribute of populations that has been considered a factor determines population density. Antbirds is a large group of mainly insectivorous Neotropical passerines, usually well represented in bird communities from forested landscapes in Neotropical region. Territory sizes for three Antbirds, Thamnophilus caerulescens (Vieillot, 1816) (Variable Antshrike), Dysithamnus mentalis (Temmink, 1823) (Plain Antvireo) e Pyriglena leucoptera (Vieillot, 1818) (White-shouldered Fire-eye), were mapped and their area estimated by the convex polygon method in a 50 ha forest fragment, in southeastern Brazil. The three species presented small territories of similar sizes (< 2 ha) both during the non-reproductive and the reproductive seasons of 2000-2001. Territories overlapped considerably among species but not intraspecifically. Territory sizes increased with body mass of the three species studied (P. leucoptera > T. caerulescens > D. mentalis). We failed to find any effect on territory size for the three species associated with forest edge or distance to the dirt road.

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Social Systems in a Tropical Forest Avifauna

Cited by 107 publications

References 22 publications

Mixed-species flocks: an example of niche construction?

Mixed-species flocks: an example of niche construction?

Positive Relationships between Association Strength and Phenotypic Similarity Characterize the Assembly of Mixed-Species Bird Flocks Worldwide

Territory size of three Antbirds (Aves, Passeriformes) in an Atlantic Forest fragment in southeastern Brazil

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