Network structure of avian mixed-species flocks decays with elevation and latitude across the Andes.

Autor: Montaño-Centellas FA; Instituto de Ecología, Universidad Mayor de San Andrés, La Paz, Bolivia.; Department of Biological Sciences, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA 70803, USA., Muñoz J; Biodiversity Research Center, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada V6T 1Z4., Mangini GG; Instituto de Ecología Regional (IER) UNT-CONICET, Yerba Buena 4107, Tucamán, ‌Argentina., Ausprey IJ; Division of Conservation Biology, Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern, 3012 Bern, Switzerland.; Florida Museum of Natural History and Department of Biology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA., Newell FL; Division of Conservation Biology, Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern, 3012 Bern, Switzerland.; Florida Museum of Natural History and Department of Biology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA., Jones HH; The Institute for Bird Populations, Petaluma, CA 94953, USA., Fanjul ME; Instituto de Vertebrados, Zoología, Fundación Miguel Lillo. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Tucumán, Yerba Buena 4000, Tucumán, Argentina., Tinoco BA; Escuela de Biología, Universidad del Azuay, 010204 Cuenca, Ecuador., Colorado Z GJ; Departamento de Ciencias Forestales, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, 050034 Medellín, Colombia., Cahill JRA; Centro de Biodiversidad y Genética, Universidad Mayor de San Simón, Cochabamba, Bolivia., Arbeláez-Cortés E; Grupo de Estudios en Biodiversidad, Escuela de Biología, Universidad Industrial de Santander, 680002 Bucaramanga, Colombia., Marin-Gómez OH; Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Facultad de Estudios Superiores Iztacala, 45090 Tlalnepantla de Baz, México.; Colección de Ornitología, Programa de Biología, Quindío, Colombia, Universidad del Quindío, Armenia 630001, Colombia., Astudillo PX; Laboratorio de Ecología, Universidad del Azuay, 010204 Cuenca, Ecuador., Guevara EA; Biodiversity and Conservation Biology, Swiss Federal Research Institute WSL, 8903 Birmensdorf, Switzerland., Ippi S; INIBIOMA, CONICET-Universidad Nacional del Comahue, Quintral 1250, 8400 Bariloche, Argentina., McDermott ME; School of Environment and Natural Resources, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA., Rodewald AD; Cornell Lab of Ornithology and Department of Natural Resources and the Environment, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA., Matthysen E; Evolutionary Ecology Group, Department of Biology, University of Antwerp, 2610 Wilrijk, Antwerp, Belgium., Robinson SK; Florida Museum of Natural History and Department of Biology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA.
Jazyk: angličtina
Zdroj: Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological sciences [Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci] 2023 Jun 05; Vol. 378 (1878), pp. 20220099. Date of Electronic Publication: 2023 Apr 17.
DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2022.0099
Abstrakt: Birds in mixed-species flocks benefit from greater foraging efficiency and reduced predation, but also face costs related to competition and activity matching. Because this cost-benefit trade-off is context-dependent (e.g. abiotic conditions and habitat quality), the structure of flocks is expected to vary along elevational, latitudinal and disturbance gradients. Specifically, we predicted that the connectivity and cohesion of flocking networks would (i) decline towards tropical latitudes and lower elevations, where competition and activity matching costs are higher, and (ii) increase with lower forest cover and greater human disturbance. We analysed the structure of 84 flock networks across the Andes and assessed the effect of elevation, latitude, forest cover and human disturbance on network characteristics. We found that Andean flocks are overall open-membership systems (unstructured), though the extent of network structure varied across gradients. Elevation was the main predictor of structure, with more connected and less modular flocks upslope. As expected, flocks in areas with higher forest cover were less cohesive, with better defined flock subtypes. Flocks also varied across latitude and disturbance gradients as predicted, but effect sizes were small. Our findings indicate that the unstructured nature of Andean flocks might arise as a strategy to cope with harsh environmental conditions. This article is part of the theme issue 'Mixed-species groups and aggregations: shaping ecological and behavioural patterns and processes'.
Databáze: MEDLINE
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