Arthropod Foraging by a Southeastern Arizona Hummingbird Guild

Powers, Donald R.; Hook, Jessamyn A. Van; Sandlin, Elizabeth A.; McWhorter, Todd J.

doi:10.1676/09-179.1

Cited by 10 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 26 publications

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“…Expanding the knowledge on any avian lineage will be of value in resolving high-level patterns of the influence of diet and lifestyle on the gut microbiota. A lineage that we feel would be of great interest is the hummingbird, which possesses the fastest metabolism among homeothermic animals (Suarez, 1992 ) and relies on a diet primarily of nectar supplemented with arthropods (Brice, 1992 ; Yanega and Rhubega, 2004 ; Powers et al, 2010 ). As an adaptation to the extreme levels of sugar ingested, hummingbirds possess extremely potent sucrase (Martínez Del Rio, 1990 ) and are able to survive in a constant state of hyperglycemia (Beuchat and Chong, 1998 ).…”

Section: A Look To the Futurementioning

confidence: 99%

Exploring the avian gut microbiota: current trends and future directions

2015

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Birds represent a diverse and evolutionarily successful lineage, occupying a wide range of niches throughout the world. Like all vertebrates, avians harbor diverse communities of microorganisms within their guts, which collectively fulfill crucial roles in providing the host with nutrition and protection from pathogens. Across the field of avian microbiology knowledge is extremely uneven, with several species accounting for an overwhelming majority of all microbiological investigations. These include agriculturally important birds, such as chickens and turkeys, as well as birds of evolutionary or conservation interest. In our previous study we attempted the first meta-analysis of the avian gut microbiota, using 16S rRNA gene sequences obtained from a range of publicly available data sets. We have now extended our analysis to explore the microbiology of several key species in detail, to consider the avian microbiota within the context of what is known about other vertebrates, and to identify key areas of interest in avian microbiology for future study.

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Section: A Look To the Futurementioning

confidence: 99%

Exploring the avian gut microbiota: current trends and future directions

2015

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“…In the breeding season, males may forgo defending the richest foraging patches and instead establish territories around resources that help procure mates, such as access to perch sites (Armstrong, ). Territories may also be based on the availability of arthropod prey (Stiles, ; Powers et al ., ) or the presence of insects that compete for nectar (Brown et al ., ; Gill et al ., ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

How important is nectar in shaping spatial variation in the abundance of temperate breeding hummingbirds?

Feldman

McGill

2013

Journal of Biogeography

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Aim Our aim was to test the degree to which nectar production predicts hummingbird abundances at large spatial scales compared with other large-scale environmental variables.Location Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico and Utah, USA.Methods We surveyed nectar producing flowers at 67 sites in the summer of 2008 and converted flower densities to nectar production using data obtained from the literature. We derived a model of nectar production and used this to create a nectar production map for the study region. We then tested the degree to which nectar production predicted the abundance and occupancy of blackchinned (Archilochus alexandri) and broad-tailed (Selasphorus platycercus) hummingbirds with zero-inflated Poisson regression. Abundance data were taken from the North American Breeding Bird Survey. We compared the predictions made from nectar production to those made from temperature, precipitation, growing degree-days, elevation and primary productivity. ResultsWe found that black-chinned hummingbird abundance was best predicted by the abundance of conspecifics in a surrounding 20-km neighbourhood as opposed to any of the environmental variables. Their occupancy varied independently of any underlying spatial or environmental variation. Broad-tailed hummingbird abundance was best predicted by average temperature. Nectar was a weak predictor of both species' abundance and occupancy.Main conclusions Of the variables we measured, no single one is a key predictor of spatial variation of hummingbird abundance. It is possible that breeding abundances respond to local habitat characteristics that do not correlate strongly with large-scale environmental variability. Within the breeding season, hummingbird abundance and occupancy may depend on factors unrelated to nectar production and hummingbirds may not disperse to track spatial variation in nectar production.

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“…Additionally, Sandlin (2000) speculated that, within the same habitat, trapliners consumed more arthropods than territorial species. However, in a detailed study, Powers et al (2010) were not able to support this hypothesis by comparing the feeding ecology of the trapliner Eugenes fulgens and the territorial Lampornis clemenciae (both flycatching species) in southeastern Arizona.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 91%

“…Additionally, wing morphology also varies with elevation (Feinsinger et al 1979), feeding habit (hovering vs. perching), and male aggressive behaviour (Feinsinger and Chaplin 1975). Further, hummingbirds gain their energy mainly from nectar (Powers et al 2010) and only a small but variable amount from arthropods (see below). Therefore, it is more reasonable to assume that different factors, such as nectar-feeding ecology or habitatdetermined wing morphology, constrain both the way in which arthropods are caught and the different kinds involved.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Morphological and behavioural adaptations to feed on nectar: how feeding ecology determines the diversity and composition of hummingbird assemblages

Abrahamczyk

Kessler

2014

J Ornithol

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Hummingbirds are the most specialised nectarivorous birds and show close ecological relationships to their food plants. Their small body size, bright colors, and unique behaviour have fascinated generations of naturalists. In this review, we investigate the morphological and behavioural adaptations of hummingbirds to feed on nectar and arthropods, and explore their diffuse co-evolution with their food plant species. Further, a list of plant genera including species mainly pollinated by hummingbirds is presented. Summarising the existing knowledge on hummingbird feeding ecology, we find that much of the variability in morphology and behaviour of hummingbirds is determined by their unique feeding mode and the constraints set by their food plants. Based on the existing literature, we developed a hierarchical system explaining how different environmental factors have shaped the current richness of hummingbirds, and their morphological and behavioural diversity. We propose that climatic stability within and between seasons and days determines the constancy of food availability, which in turn is the most important factor for species richness in hummingbird assemblages. However, the assemblage composition of hummingbirds is also influenced by phylogenetic factors, especially under harsh environmental conditions. Unsurprisingly, the highest morphological and behavioural diversity is observed in the most species-rich assemblages. This diversity may have at least partly evolved to reduce inter-and intraspecific competition. Independently of which morphological character we consider, the 360 different hummingbird species have evolved a large morphological variability to adapt to their individual feeding niches.

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Arthropod Foraging by a Southeastern Arizona Hummingbird Guild

Cited by 10 publications

References 26 publications

Exploring the avian gut microbiota: current trends and future directions

Exploring the avian gut microbiota: current trends and future directions

How important is nectar in shaping spatial variation in the abundance of temperate breeding hummingbirds?

Morphological and behavioural adaptations to feed on nectar: how feeding ecology determines the diversity and composition of hummingbird assemblages

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