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LONG‐TERM DYNAMICS OF MEDITERRANEAN FRUGIVOROUSBIRDS AND FLESHY FRUITS: A 12‐YEAR STUDY

LONG‐TERM DYNAMICS OF MEDITERRANEAN FRUGIVOROUSBIRDS AND FLESHY FRUITS: A 12‐YEAR STUDY The relationship between fleshy‐fruited plants and their vertebrate seed dispersal agents often has been depicted as subject to important interannual variation, but no study has thus far documented such variation on a long‐term basis. This paper presents the results of a 12‐yr investigation on fleshy‐fruited plants and avian frugivores in a Mediterranean montane locality of southeastern Spain. The main objective was to document patterns and correlates of long‐term variation in the composition and abundance of fruits and birds, with particular reference to seed dispersers. During October–December (“autumn” period) 1978–1990, abundance of ripe fruits and birds was assessed in a 4‐ha plot in dense, well‐preserved sclerophyllous scrub, by means of counts in permanent plots and mist‐netting, respectively. Diet composition and fruit preference patterns of Erithacus rubecula and Sylvia atricapilla, the two most abundant seed dispersers, were also investigated over the same period, using fecal sample analyses. Possible consequences to the birds of annual variation in fruit supply and diet composition were investigated using data on fat deposition levels and recapture rates of mist‐netted individuals. http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Ecological Monographs Wiley

LONG‐TERM DYNAMICS OF MEDITERRANEAN FRUGIVOROUSBIRDS AND FLESHY FRUITS: A 12‐YEAR STUDY

Herrera, Carlos M.
Ecological Monographs , Volume 68 (4) – Jan 1, 1998
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References (176)

Publisher
Wiley
Copyright
© Ecological Society of America
ISSN
0012-9615
eISSN
1557-7015
DOI
10.1890/0012-9615(1998)068[0511:LTDOMF]2.0.CO;2
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

The relationship between fleshy‐fruited plants and their vertebrate seed dispersal agents often has been depicted as subject to important interannual variation, but no study has thus far documented such variation on a long‐term basis. This paper presents the results of a 12‐yr investigation on fleshy‐fruited plants and avian frugivores in a Mediterranean montane locality of southeastern Spain. The main objective was to document patterns and correlates of long‐term variation in the composition and abundance of fruits and birds, with particular reference to seed dispersers. During October–December (“autumn” period) 1978–1990, abundance of ripe fruits and birds was assessed in a 4‐ha plot in dense, well‐preserved sclerophyllous scrub, by means of counts in permanent plots and mist‐netting, respectively. Diet composition and fruit preference patterns of Erithacus rubecula and Sylvia atricapilla, the two most abundant seed dispersers, were also investigated over the same period, using fecal sample analyses. Possible consequences to the birds of annual variation in fruit supply and diet composition were investigated using data on fat deposition levels and recapture rates of mist‐netted individuals.

Journal

Ecological Monographs – Wiley

Published: Jan 1, 1998

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