What question did this study set out to answer?

To evaluate how agricultural intensity and proximity to native rain forest remnants affect the richness, community composition, and foraging behavior of avian frugivores visiting fruiting trees.

February 1, 2003Ecological Applications

Tropical Countryside Bird Assemblages: Richness, Composition, and Foraging Differ by Landscape Context

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Authors

GLGary LuckCharles Sturt University GDGretchen C. DailyNSF National Center for Atmospheric Research

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Implication

Observational study reveals landscape context and farming intensity alter bird frugivore richness and composition, highlighting the value of forest remnants.

Key Points

To evaluate how agricultural intensity and proximity to native rain forest remnants affect the richness, community composition, and foraging behavior of avian frugivores visiting fruiting trees.
Monitored bird assemblages foraging on fruiting Miconia trees across five landscape contexts in southern Costa Rica: a 227-ha forest remnant, near sites (<2 km) with high or low agricultural intensity, and far sites (5–8 km) with high or low agricultural intensity.
Recorded species richness, community composition, and species-specific visitation rates across the differing landscape settings.
Across all contexts, 73 native bird species fed on Miconia, with species richness highest in near, low-intensity sites (mean ± SE: 21.5 ± 1.79) and lowest in far, high-intensity sites (14.1 ± 0.89).
Overall frugivore visitation rates did not differ significantly by landscape context, but visitation rates varied significantly across landscapes for 10 individual species.
Large, socially dominant frugivores frequently visited trees in far, high-intensity farmlands, while smaller subordinate frugivores and forest-dependent species like Corapipo altera declined sharply with increased distance from the forest remnant and higher agricultural intensity.

Cite This Study

Luck et al. (2003) studied this question.

synapsesocial.com/papers/698ccbeb6af7deb5030465bd https://doi.org/10.1890/1051-0761(2003)013[0235:tcbarc]2.0.co;2

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Implication

Observational study reveals landscape context and farming intensity alter bird frugivore richness and composition, highlighting the value of forest remnants.

Tropical Countryside Bird Assemblages: Richness, Composition, and Foraging Differ by Landscape Context

Discussion

Member takes

Implication

Key Points

Cite This Study

Tropical Countryside Bird Assemblages: Richness, Composition, and Foraging Differ by Landscape Context

Discussion

Member takes

Implication

Key Points

Cite This Study

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