Foraging preferences of hummingbirds on artificial and natural flowers; 2011-2012; Costa Rica
- In plantpollinator networks, the floral morphology of food plants is an important determinant of the interaction niche of pollinators. Studies on foraging preferences of pollinators combining experimental and observational approaches may help to understand the mechanisms behind patterns of interactions and niche partitioning within pollinator communities. 2. In this study, we tested whether morphological floral traits were associated with foraging preferences of hummingbirds for artificial and natural flower types in Costa Rica. We performed field experiments with artificial feeders, differing in length and curvature of flower types, to quantify the hummingbirds' interaction niche under unlimited nectar resources. To quantify the interaction niche under realworld conditions of limited nectar resources, we measured foraging preferences of hummingbirds for a total of 34 plant species. 3. Artificial feeders were visited by Eupherusa nigriventris and Phaethornis guy in the premontane forest, and Lampornis calolaemus in the lower montane forest. Under experimental conditions, all three hummingbird species overlapped their interaction niches and showed a preference for the short artificial flower type over the longstraight and the longcurved flower types. Under natural conditions, the two cooccurring hummingbird species preferred to feed on plant species with floral traits corresponding to their bill morphology. The shortbilled hummingbird E. nigriventris preferred to feed on short and straight flowers, whereas the long and curvedbilled P. guy preferred long and curved natural flowers. The mediumsize billed species L. calolaemus preferred to feed on flowers of medium length and did not show preferences for plant species with specific corolla curvature. 4. Our results show that floral morphological traits constrain access by shortbilled hummingbird species to nectar resources. Morphological constraints, therefore, represent one important mechanism structuring trophic networks. In addition, other factors, such as competition and differences in resource quantity or quality, define the interaction niches of consumer species in realworld communities, enforcing patterns of niche segregation between cooccurring consumer species. This suggests that experimental studies are needed to disentangle effects of morphological constraints from those of competition for resources in plantpollinator interactions and other types of trophic interactions.
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Zusätzliche Informationen
| Feld |
Wert |
| Geographic coverage |
| Geographic description |
Braulio Carrillo National Park |
| Bounding coordinates |
North: 10.2667
West: -84.0833
East: -84.1167
South: 10.1833
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| Temporal coverage |
| Time period |
Begin:
1. Mai 2011
End:
30. April 2012
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| Taxonomic coverage |
| Trochilidae (family) |
Lampornis calolaemus |
| Trochilidae (family) |
Eupherusa nigriventris |
| Trochilidae (family) |
Phaethornis guy |
| General taxonomic description |
We included three species of hummingbirds in total and the plant species they visited |
| Andere Informationen |
| Zuletzt aktualisiert |
Dezember 17, 2020, 15:42 (UTC)
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| Erstellt |
Dezember 17, 2020, 15:42 (UTC)
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Responsible parties
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Creator
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| Name |
María Alejandra Maglianesi |
| Organization affiliations |
Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre (BiK-F) & Senckenberg Gesellschaft fuer Naturforschung
Senckenberganlage 25
D-60325
Frankfurt
Germany
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Rolle |
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Contact
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| Name |
María Alejandra Maglianesi |
| E-mail |
|
| Organization affiliations |
Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre (BiK-F) & Senckenberg Gesellschaft fuer Naturforschung
Senckenberganlage 25
D-60325
Frankfurt
Germany
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Associated party
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| Name |
María Alejandra Maglianesi |
Rolle |
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Associated party
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| Name |
Katrin Böhning-Gaese |
Rolle |
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Associated party
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| Name |
Matthias Schleuning |
Rolle |
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Research data management planning
| Data will be stored at (long-term archived) |
Information still missing |
Link zu diesem Datensatz
https://dataportal.senckenberg.de/dataset/ab74dd45-b927-42aa-bc93-d4fe528dcc4f
