Mamma knows best: why a generalist hummingbird selects the less abundant moss for nest building

Fontúrbel, Francisco E.; Osorio, Felipe; Riffo, Valentina; Núñez, Mauricio; Bastías, Roberto; Carvallo, Gastón O.

doi:10.1002/ecy.3045

Cited by 6 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 16 publications

(16 reference statements)

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“…Ancistrodes genuflexa constitutes up to 97% of the dry nest biomass but represents only 0.1% of the total moss biomass in the sampled trees. A previous study attributed this finding to an active selection by S. sephaniodes (Osorio‐Zuñiga et al., 2014), which was recently associated to unique antimicrobial properties that A. genuflexa has (Fontúrbel, Osorio, Riffo et al., 2020). Therefore, moss material used for nest building seems to have limited substitutability.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 85%

“…On the other hand, nest–moss associations can be considered as mutualistic, given the synzoochoric relationship between S. sephaniodes and the mosses (Osorio‐Zuñiga et al., 2014). Mosses may benefit by having their spores dispersed longer distances, while hummingbirds benefit by having a functional nest material for egg and chick survival (Fontúrbel, Osorio, Riffo et al., 2020).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Aiming to study the relationship between mosses and individual S. sephaniodes nests (assuming that each nest is built by a hummingbird individual that selectively collect mosses; Fontúrbel, Osorio, Riffo et al., 2020), we first elaborated qualitative interaction matrices (as described for tree–moss networks) with the moss species present at each nest (using data from Osorio‐Zuñiga et al., 2014). We ran separate network analyses for new (freshly made) and 1‐year‐old nests, estimating the number of links, connectance and nestedness using the same procedures described above.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Cup nests are common in many bird groups and typically contain an important proportion of plant material, including mosses (Healy et al., 2015). Mosses present in bird nests may increase water retention (that prevents egg desiccation; Blem & Blem, 1994) and thermal isolation, and have also been associated with antimicrobial activity that may enhance fledgling survival (Fontúrbel, Osorio, Riffo et al., 2020). For example, in the Appalachian (USA), 12 passerine bird species used 65 bryophyte species as nesting material (Breil & Moyle, 1976).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Cryptic interactions revisited from ecological networks: Mosses as a key link between trees and hummingbirds

Fontúrbel

Osorio²,

Riffo‐Donoso

et al. 2020

Functional Ecology

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1. Ecological interactions are the glue of biodiversity, structuring communities and determining their functionality. However, our knowledge about ecological interactions is usually biased against cryptic interactions (i.e. overlooked interactions involving inconspicuous species). Mosses are a neglected component in community ecology despite being diverse and abundant in boreal and temperate forests. Therefore, the cryptic relationships of trees as hosts for epiphytic mosses, and vertebrates using mosses as nesting material, may have important consequences for community structuring. 2. We built species-and individual-based ecological networks to characterise treemoss associations in 120 tree individuals representing 13 species, which hosted 19 moss species. We also used those ecological networks to simulate the effects of non-random extinctions due to selective logging, to assess the presence of moss species in hummingbird nests (30 nests), whether these mosses were a subset of those found on the trees if moss diversity varies with tree height and whether these moss-tree relationships are phylogenetically constrained. 3. We found a nested pattern in the tree-moss network. Taller trees were the most connected, with tree height positively related to number of moss species, network degree and centrality. Extinction simulations showed changes in network topology, with the strongest effect from the removal of the most connected tree species. However, tree and moss networks were not influenced by phylogenetic relatedness. The hummingbird Sephanoides sephaniodes selectively collected mosses; the moss species used as nesting material by hummingbirds were a subset of available species. These complex relationships among trees, birds and mosses underpin the importance of neglected components in the community. 4. We found that tree-moss associations were non-random, showing a positive relationship between tree height and moss diversity. Those associations are the reflection of preferences beyond relative abundances in the forest, and the removal of certain tree species (due to selective logging) may have cascade effects in the community. Furthermore, the lack of phylogenetic correspondence suggests that tree-moss associations are governed by ecological factors (host tree preferences). Moss-hummingbird associations are non-random, as hummingbirds (that pollinate | 227 Functional Ecology FONTÚRBEL ET aL.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 85%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Cryptic interactions revisited from ecological networks: Mosses as a key link between trees and hummingbirds

Fontúrbel

Osorio²,

Riffo‐Donoso

et al. 2020

Functional Ecology

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“…In this study we suggest that selection of P. rhoeas and E. plantagineum by great bustards could be based on the antipathogenic effects of these plants. The use of plants with active secondary metabolites for preventing or reducing parasite and pathogen loads (self-medication) has been described in invertebrates [59][60][61], mammals [62,63] and birds [64][65][66]. As for great bustards, Bravo et al [14] described for the rst time a probable case of self-medication by ingestion of toxic insects.…”

Section: Diet and Health Of Great Bustardsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Antiparasitic Effects of Plant Species from the Diet of Great Bustards

Bolívar¹,

Lm²,

Mt³

et al. 2020

Preprint

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Background: Diets combine food types according to some trade-offs, as for example maximising nutrients and minimising toxins. But some diets include elements because of their activity against the host parasites and other pathogens. This so-called medicinal role of food is under-reported in the literature, either because toxic elements in diets of livestock and wildlife are infrequent, or because their activity against parasites and pathogens has not been fully documented. We contribute to fill this knowledge gap by testing the activity of extracts and essential oils from Papaver rhoeas and Echium plantagineum against a selection of laboratory pathogens. These plants are strongly selected by great bustards Otis tarda during the mating season. Results: During this season we found a significantly higher frequency of P. rhoeas in male than in female faeces. The activity of different extracts of these plants against some laboratory models including a flagellated protozoan (Trichomonas gallinae), a nematode (Meloidogyne javanica) and a fungus (Aspergillus niger) was evaluated. We found activity against nematodes and trichomonads in non-polar and polar extracts of the aerial parts of P. rhoeas, especially the extracts of flowers and capsules, and E. plantagineum, especially the extracts of leaves and flowers.Conclusions: Both plants showed anti-parasitic activity, a result compatible with the hypothesis that great bustards eat plants for non-nutritional purposes, likely to assist them in coping with parasites and other pathogens, and P. rhoeas could be especially helpful for males during the mating season, when their immune system is weakened by the investment in secondary sexual characters and sexual display. The self-medication properties of plants and animals included in diets should be considered in studies of foraging behaviour, habitat selection, and even conservation biology of wildlife.

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