Fruit color preference by birds and applications to ecological restoration

Gagetti, Bruna Leone; Piratelli, Augusto João; Piña-Rodrigues, Fátima Conceição Márquez

doi:10.1590/1519-6984.05115

Cited by 20 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 36 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…The discrimination of red and black fruits from other colors is consistent with empirical studies, which frequently suggest that red and black fruits are preferred by birds (36)(37)(38). The fact that fruit color was not related to variance in frugivore diversity also supports previous research that has suggested that fruit or seed size may be the only trait that responds to selection from frugivores (11).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 87%

“…In the first ("Fruit_color1" in SI Appendix, Table S2), fruits that were qualitatively "bright" (e.g., red, orange, yellow, or white) were assigned to 1 and "dull" fruits (e.g., black, brown, green) assigned to 0. In the next three categorization schemes, fruits that were red or black were assigned a 1, and other fruits were assigned 0; this is based on empirical measurements of fruit preference in birds (36)(37)(38); indeed, Schmidt et al (ref. 54, p. 551) noted a "global prevalence" of red and black fruits, likely driven by conspicuousness of those colors to avian frugivores.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Evolutionary cascades induced by large frugivores

Brodie

2017

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Large, fruit-eating vertebrates have been lost from many of the world's ecosystems. The ecological consequences of this defaunation can be severe, but the evolutionary consequences are nearly unknown because it remains unclear whether frugivores exert strong selection on fruit traits. I assessed the macroevolution of fruit traits in response to variation in the diversity and size of seed-dispersing vertebrates. Across the Indo-Malay Archipelago, many of the same plant lineages have been exposed to very different assemblages of seed-dispersing vertebrates. Phylogenetic analysis of >400 plant species in 41 genera and five families revealed that average fruit size tracks the taxonomic and functional diversity of frugivorous birds and mammals. Fruit size was 40.2-46.5% smaller in the Moluccas and Sulawesi (respectively), with relatively depauperate assemblages of mostly small-bodied animals, than in the Sunda Region (Borneo, Sumatra, and Peninsular Malaysia), with a highly diverse suite of large and small animals. Fruit color, however, was unrelated to vertebrate diversity or to the representation of birds versus mammals in the frugivore assemblage. Overhunting of large animals, nearly ubiquitous in tropical forests, could strongly alter selection pressures on plants, resulting in widespread, although trait-specific, morphologic changes.

show abstract

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 87%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evolutionary cascades induced by large frugivores

Brodie

2017

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…The preference for the red color may be explained by its attractiveness to birds (Whitney, 2005;Gagetti et al, 2016). The fact that insects did not show a preference for the red color in our study goes against previous studies (Takahara and Takahashi, 2016) and may be explained by the high effectiveness of the chemical treatments in our study region.…”

Section: Grape Lossescontrasting

confidence: 80%

Effects of native biodiversity on grape loss of four castes: testing the biotic resistance hypothesis

et al. 2018

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Abstract. Management of agricultural landscapes can influence the biodiversity and the ecological services provided by these ecosystems, such as natural biological pest control. Viticulture is a very important economic activity in most countries with Mediterranean climate, often shaping their landscapes and culture. Grape production is affected by a number of pests and diseases, and farmers use prophylactic and response-driven pesticides to control these pests. Here we quantified the main biotic causes of crop losses in four grape castes, two red (Touriga Nacional and Baga) and two white (Arinto and Chardonnay), and evaluated the potential effect of native biodiversity to provide biotic resistance to pest outbreaks and grape losses. Specifically, the diversity and abundance of bird and insect communities in these vineyards were quantified and divided into functional guilds (pest, neutral or auxiliary), to test whether these natural communities hold the potential to naturally control grape pests (biotic resistance hypothesis) under normal vineyard management (including pesticide application regimes). A potential association between distance to the vineyard edge and grape losses was also evaluated. We recorded a very small proportion of grape losses (mean = 0.6 %; max = 7.5 %), with insect pests showing a preference for the castes Baga (red) and Chardonnay (white), while bird pests avoided the caste Arinto (white). Grape color did not influence losses caused by insect pests, but birds showed a preference for red castes. The caste Baga was also more vulnerable to losses caused by fungi. Despite their low impact on grape production, most insects and birds detected in the six vineyards were pests, which entails a potentially low level of biotic resistance in this highly managed agricultural ecosystem. Further research is necessary to fully evaluate the role of functional biodiversity in vineyards, particularly if alternative production processes, such as organic farming, can increase the potential of native biodiversity to protect against grape losses from pests under lower regimes of chemical spraying.

show abstract

“…La mayoría de estas especies presentan frutos en bayas y drupas de colores vistosos como evidencia del síndrome de dispersión para aves (fig. 8), debido a que los frutos rojos y negros son consumidos más que otros colores en áreas restauradas en bosques tropicales (Gagetti et al, 2016). El análisis del síndrome de dispersión de las especies espontáneas evidenció una mayor contribución de la zoocoria (78%) en la dispersión de especies espontáneas del bosque de referencia, principalmente aves, en comparación con las dispersadas por el viento (22%; tabla 2).…”

Section: Discussionunclassified