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203 results for “Bird Island”
Runs of homozygosity reveal past bottlenecks and contemporary inbreeding across diverging populations of an island-colonizing bird
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Data from: Genomic variation, population history and within-archipelago adaptation between island bird populations
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Data from: Non-random patterns of invasion and extinction reduce phylogenetic diversity in island bird assemblages
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Data from: Island biogeography and life-history traits stabilize island bird communities
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Data from: Translocation with targeted vaccination is the most effective strategy to protect an island endemic bird threatened by West Nile virus
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High importance of migratory birds for plant-frugivore interactions on reservoir islands
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Bird Species Present at Barro Colorado Island, Panama
Patterns of biodiversity, such as the increase toward the tropics and the peaked curve during ecological succession, are fundamental phenomena for ecology. Such patterns have multiple, interacting causes, but temperature emerges as a dominant factor across organisms from microbes to trees and mammals, and across terrestrial, marine, and freshwater environments. However, there is little consensus on the underlying mechanisms, even as global temperatures increase and the need to predict their effects becomes more pressing. The purpose of this project is to generate and test theory for how temperature impacts biodiversity through its effect on biochemical processes and metabolic rate. A combination of standardized surveys in the field and controlled experiments in the field and laboratory measure diversity of three taxa -- trees, invertebrates, and microbes -- and key biogeochemical processes of decomposition in seven forests distributed along a geographic gradient of increasing temperature from cold temperate to warm tropical. This list of bird species at Barro Colorado Island, Panama, was retrieved from http://biogeodb.stri.si.edu/biodiversity/bci/ on 10/17/2013 as part of a macrosystems biodiversity and latitude project supported by the National Science Foundation under Cooperative Agreement DEB#1065836.
A test of island biogeographic theory applied to estimates of gene flow in a Fijian bird is largely consistent with neutral expectations
<p>Islands were key to the development of allopatric speciation theory because they are a natural laboratory of repeated barriers to gene flow caused by open water gaps. Despite their proclivity for promoting divergence, little empirical work has quantified the extent of gene flow among island populations. Following classic island biogeographic theory, two metrics of interest are relative island size and distance. Fiji presents an ideal system for studying these dynamics, with four main islands that form two large-small pairs. We sequenced thousands of ultraconserved elements (UCEs) of the Fiji bush-warbler<i> Horornis ruficapilla</i>, a passerine distributed on these four Fijian islands, and performed a demographic analysis to test hypotheses of the effects of island size and distance on rates of gene flow. Our demographic analysis inferred low levels of gene flow from each large island to its small counterpart and little or none in the opposite direction. The difference in the distance between these two island pairs manifested itself in lower levels of gene flow between more distant islands. Both findings are generally concordant with classic island biogeography. The amount of reduction in gene flow based on distance was consistent with predictions from island biogeographic equations, while the reduction from small to large islands was possibly greater than expected. These findings offer a hypothesis and framework to guide future study of inter-island gene flow in archipelagos as the study of island biogeography progresses into the genomic era.</p>
Tape lures swell bycatch on a Mediterranean island harbouring illegal bird trapping
<p>Mediterranean islands provide shelter and sustenance for millions of migrating birds each year. Humans have historically exploited bird migration through hunting. In Cyprus, trapping birds during their migratory peak is considered a tradition, but has long been against the law. Illegal bird trapping is lucrative, however, with trappers using tape lures that broadcast birdsong to increase capture rates. It results in the slaughter of millions of birds each year. Yet, scientific studies quantifying capture rates of target and nontarget species using methods employed by trappers are lacking. Here, we show using playback experiments that tape lures lead to an order of magnitude greater capture rates of target species, but also significantly increase bycatch, which may include species of conservation concern. Conservation efforts focusing on minimizing illegal bird killing should also consider tape lures and their contribution to the overall impact of trapping on avian populations.</p>
Data from: Multidimensional stable isotope analysis illuminates resource partitioning in a sub-Antarctic island bird community
1. A central theme in community ecology is understanding how similar species co-exist and how their interactions may evolve in the context of climate change. Most studies of resource partitioning among central place foragers, particularly birds, focus on the offspring-rearing period, when they are accessible, but breeding success may be determined earlier and little is known about how such species partition resources at the onset of breeding. 2. We used a non-invasive approach to evaluate resource partitioning in co-existing females at a sub-Antarctic island during their pre-laying periods. 3. Three hypotheses were tested using carbon, nitrogen and oxygen stable isotope ratios measured in shells and membranes of hatched eggs as ecological tracers: 1) resource partitioning by geographic location and trophic level will exist among the 12 bird species and will be enhanced within taxonomic groups; 2) given the absence of strong oxygen gradients in the Southern Ocean we will not detect spatial structuring based on oxygen isotopes, but differences will exist between resident and oceanic species as the former may use meteoric water; 3) capital and income breeder strategies can be differentiated using stable isotopes of egg remains. 4. Two and three dimensional isotopic data showed resource partitioning among species. As predicted, segregation was evident within the four main taxonomic groups: penguins, albatrosses, burrowing petrels and giant petrels. Unexpectedly, oxygen isotopes revealed widespread use of meteoric water among a suite of sub-Antarctic birds. Stable isotopes allowed us to identify females of most species as income breeders at the onset of breeding, with the exception of the two crested penguin females exhibiting a mix of income and capital resources use. 5. Multidimensional isotopic analyses revealed that resource partitioning exists at multiple stages of the annual cycle in ways likely to be important under global change, exhibiting wide potential for ecosystem analysis.
The dynamic trophic niche of an island bird of prey
Optimal Foraging Theory predicts an inverse relationship between the availability of preferred prey and niche width in animals. Moreover, when individuals within a population have identical prey preferences and preferred prey is scarce, a nested pattern of trophic niche is expected if opportunistic and selective individuals can be identified. Here, we examined intraspecific variation in the trophic niche of a resident population of striated caracara (Phalcoboenus australis) on Isla de los Estados (Staten Island), Argentina, using pellet and stable isotope analyses. While this raptor specializes on seabird prey, we assessed this population's potential to forage on terrestrial prey, especially invasive herbivores as carrion, when seabirds are less accessible. We found that the isotopic niche of this species varies with season, age, breeding status and, to a lesser extent, year. Our results were in general consistent with classic predictions of the Optimal Foraging Theory, but we also explore other possible explanations for the observed pattern. Isotopic niche was broader for groups identified a priori as opportunistic (i.e., non-breeding adults during the breeding season and the whole population during the non-breeding season) than it was for individuals identified a priori as selective. Results suggested that terrestrial input was relatively low, and invasive mammals accounted for no more than 5% of the input. The seasonal pulse of rockhopper penguins likely interacts with caracara's reproductive status by constraining the spatial scale on which individuals forage. Niche expansion in spatially flexible individuals did not reflect an increase in terrestrial prey input, rather it may be driven by a greater variation in the types of marine prey items consumed.
Data from: Rat eradication and the resistance and resilience of passerine bird assemblages in the Falkland Islands
Norway rats (Rattus norvegicus) were introduced to the Falkland Islands and are detrimental to native passerines. Rat eradication programs are being used to help protect the avifauna. The present study assesses the effectiveness of eradication programs while using this conservation practice as a natural experiment to explore the ecological resistance, resilience, and homeostasis of bird communities. We conducted bird surveys on 230 islands: 85 in the presence of rats, 108 that were historically free of rats, and 37 from which rats had been eradicated. Bird detection data were used to build occupancy models for each species and estimate species-area relationships. Count data were used to estimate relative abundance and community structure. Islands with invasive rats had reduced species richness of passerines and a different community structure than islands on which rats were historically absent. Although the species richness of native passerines was remarkably similar on eradicated and historically rat-free islands, community structure on eradicated islands was more similar to that of rat-infested islands than to historically rat-free islands. The results suggest that in the Falkland Islands, species richness of passerines is not resistant to invasive rats, but seems to be resilient following their removal. In contrast, community structure seems to be neither resistant nor resilient. From a conservation perspective, rat eradication programs in the Falkland Islands appear to be effective at restoring native species richness, but they are not necessarily beneficial for species of conservation concern. For species that do not recolonize, translocations following eradications may be necessary.
Data from: Assortative mating frames establishment in a young island bird population
Successful island colonizations are key events to understand range dynamic processes, but studying a young population right after it reaches establishment is a rare opportunity in natural systems. However, the genetic structure of a recently established population may offer unique insights into its colonization history and demographic processes important for a successful colonization. Here, we studied the population genetics of a recently established island population of Eurasian blackbirds (Aves: Turdus merula) located on the island of Heligoland in the German North Sea. Using microsatellites, we genotyped the majority of the island population, including the nestlings, over a four-year period between 2004 and 2007. We also genotyped high numbers of migrants on stopover and mainland individuals, as they are potential founders of the island population. We identified two genetic clusters that comply with the migrating and mainland birds respectively. While most of the island birds belong to the mainland cluster, some breeding individuals and a low fraction of the offspring belong to the genetic cluster found in migrating individuals with almost no admixture between the two, pointing to assortative mating acting on the island population. We did not find any evidence for founder events and detected deviations from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium that disappeared in cohorts of older age that coincide with a lower number of siblings in older cohorts. The observed genetic patterns unravel a complex colonization history to which migratory and mainland birds have contributed and which is characterized by assortative mating. Further research will be directed towards habitat selection and phenotypic differences as potential drivers of assortative mating in this island population.
Data from: Bird assemblages on Amazonian river islands: patterns of species diversity and composition
The principles of island biogeography are rarely used to investigate the animal assemblages of Amazonian river islands. Here, we apply this approach to compare bird assemblages of Amazonian river islands with a variety of mainland habitats. We also examine how bird species diversity and composition are related to island physical attributes. Birds were sampled with mist nets and qualitative censuses on 11 river islands and at 24 mainland sites on the lower reaches of the Rio Negro in the Brazilian Amazon. Island bird assemblages are characterized by lower species richness and a higher abundance of a few dominant species. Additionally, species composition of the islands was significantly distinct from the mainland, including the nearby floodplain habitats. Number of bird species increased with island size and habitat diversity, and decreased with degree of isolation. In addition, small islands tended to harbour an impoverished subset of the species present on larger ones. Bird species diversity and composition on Amazonian river islands are likely influenced by the ecological succession and historical events affecting island formation. Considering their small total area across the Amazon basin, these insular fluvial environments could be disproportionally threatened by river channel disturbances such as climate change events, and hydroelectric building.
Examining the link between relaxed predation and bird colouration on islands
<p>Insular ecosystems share analogous ecological conditions, leading to patterns of convergent evolution that are collectively termed the "island syndrome". In birds, part of this syndrome is a tendency for a duller plumage, possibly as a result of relaxed sexual selection and the reduced need for species recognition. Despite this global pattern, some insular species display a more colourful plumage than their mainland relatives, but why this occurs has remained unexplained. Here, we examine the hypothesis that these cases of increased plumage colouration on islands could arise through a relaxation of predation pressure. We used comparative analyses to investigate whether average insular richness of raptors of suitable mass influences the plumage colourfulness and brightness across 110 pairs of insular endemic species and their closest mainland relatives. As predicted, we find a likely negative relationship between insular colouration and insular predation whilst controlling for mainland predation and colouration, so that species were more likely to become more colourful as the number of insular predators decreased. In contrast, plumage brightness was not influenced by predation pressure. Relaxation from predation, together with drift, might thus be a key mechanism of species phenotypic responses to insularity.</p>
Data from: Snake and bird predation drive the repeated convergent evolution of correlated life history traits and phenotype in the Izu Island scincid lizard (Plestiodon latiscutatus)
Predation may create strong natural selection pressure on the phenotype and life history characteristics of prey species. The Izu scincid lizards (Plestiodon latiscutatus) that inhabit the four Japanese Izu Islands with only bird predators are drab brown, mature later, lay small clutches of large eggs, and hatch large neonates. In contrast, skinks on seven islands with both snake and bird predators are conspicuously colored, mature early, lay large clutches of small eggs, and hatch small neonates. We test the hypothesis that these suites of traits have evolved independently on each island via natural selection pressures from one of two predator regimes – birds-only and birds + snakes. Using two mtDNA genes and a nuclear locus, we infer a time-calibrated phylogeny of P. latiscutatus that reveals a basal split between Mikura and all islands south, and Miyake, all islands north, and the Izu Peninsula. Populations inhabiting Miyake, Niijima, Shikine, and Toshima are not monophyletic, suggesting either multiple colonizations or an artifact of incomplete lineage sorting (ILS). We therefore developed novel phylogenetic comparative analyses that assume either a multiple colonization or more restrictive single colonization ILS scenario and found 1) statistically significant support for the of different suites of phenotypic and life history characteristics with the presence of bird-only or bird + snake predator assemblages, and 2) strong phylogenetic support for at least two independent derivations of either the "bird-only" or "snakes + birds" phenotypes regardless of colonization scenario. Finally, our time-calibrated phylogeographic analysis supports the conclusion that the ancestor to modern Izu Island P. latiscutatus dispersed from the mainland to the Izu proto-islands between 3–7.6 million years ago (Ma). These lineages remained present in the area during successive formation of the islands, with one lineage re-colonizing the mainland 0.24-0.7 Ma.
Data from: Islands within islands: two montane paleo-endemic birds impacted by recent anthropogenic fragmentation
Anthropogenic habitat fragmentation of species that live in naturally patchy metapopulations such as mountaintops or sky islands experiences two levels of patchiness. Effects of such multilevel patchiness on species have rarely been examined. Metapopulation theory suggests that patchy habitats could have varied impacts on persistence, dependent on differential migration. It is not known whether montane endemic species, evolutionarily adapted to natural patchiness, are able to disperse between anthropogenic fragments at similar spatial scales as natural patches. We investigated historic and contemporary gene flow between natural and anthropogenic patches across the distribution range of a Western Ghats sky-island-endemic bird species complex. Data from 14 microsatellites for 218 individuals detected major genetic structuring by deep valleys, including one hitherto undescribed barrier. As expected, we found strong effects of historic genetic differentiation across natural patches, but not across anthropogenic fragments. Contrastingly, contemporary differentiation (DPS) was higher relative to historic differentiation (FST) in anthropogenic fragments, despite the species' ability to historically traverse shallow valleys. Simulations of recent isolation resulted in high DPS/FST values, confirming recent isolation in Western Ghats anthropogenic fragments and also suggesting that this ratio can be used to identifying recent fragmentation in the context of historic connectedness. We suggest that in this landscape, in addition to natural patchiness affecting population connectivity, anthropogenic fragmentation additionally impacts connectivity, making anthropogenic fragments akin to islands within natural islands of montane habitat, a pattern that may be recovered in other sky-island systems.
Data from: Hybridization and barriers to gene flow in an island bird radiation
While reinforcement may play a role in all major modes of speciation, relatively little is known about the timescale over which species hybridize without evolving complete reproductive isolation. Birds have high potential for hybridization, and islands provide simple settings for uncovering speciation and hybridization patterns. Here we develop a phylogenetic hypothesis for a phenotypically-diverse radiation of finch-like weaver-birds (Foudia) endemic to the western Indian Ocean islands. We find that unlike Darwin's finches, each island-endemic Foudia population is a monophyletic entity for which speciation can be considered complete. In explaining the only exceptions – mismatches between taxonomy, mitochondrial and nuclear data – phylogenetic and coalescent methods support introgressive hybridization rather than incomplete lineage sorting. Human introductions of known timing of one island-endemic species, to all surrounding archipelagos provide two fortuitous experiments; (1) population sampling at known times in recent evolutionary history, (2) bringing allopatric lineages of an island radiation into secondary contact. Our results put a minimum time bound on introgression (235 years), and support hybridization between species in natural close contact (parapatry), but not between those in natural allopatry brought into contact by human introduction. Time in allopatry, rather than in sympatry, appears key in the reproductive isolation of Foudia species.
Data from: Genetic, morphological and acoustic evidence reveals lack of diversification in the colonization process in an island bird
Songbirds with recently (i.e. early Holocene) founded populations are suitable models for studying incipient differentiation in oceanic islands. On such systems each colonization event represents a different evolutionary episode that can be studied by addressing sets of diverging phenotypic and genetic traits. We investigate the process of early differentiation in the spectacled warbler (Sylvia conspicillata) in 14 populations separated by sea barriers from three Atlantic archipelagos and from continental regions spanning from tropical to temperate latitudes. Our approach involved the study of sexual acoustic signals, morphology and genetic data. Mitochondrial DNA did not provide clear population structure. However, microsatellites analyses consistently identified two genetic groups, albeit without correspondence to subspecies classification and little correspondence to geography. Coalescent analyses showed significant evidence for gene flow between the two genetic groups. Discriminant analyses could not correctly assign morphological or acoustic traits to source populations. Therefore, although theory predicting that in isolated populations genetic, morphological or acoustic traits can lead to radiation, we have strikingly failed to document differentiation on these attributes in a resident passerine throughout three oceanic archipelagos.
Data from: The relative roles of cultural drift and acoustic adaptation in shaping syllable repertoires of island bird populations change with time since colonization
In birds, song divergence often precedes and facilitates divergence of other traits. We assessed the relative roles of cultural drift, innovation and acoustic adaptation in divergence of island bird dialects, using silvereyes (Zosterops lateralis). In recently colonized populations, syllable diversity was not significantly lower than source populations, shared syllables between populations decreased with increasing number of founder events and dialect variation displayed contributions from both habitat features and drift. The breadth of multivariate space occupied by recently colonized Z. l. lateralis populations was comparable to evolutionarily old forms that have diverged over thousands to hundreds of thousands of years. In evolutionarily old subspecies, syllable diversity was comparable to the mainland and the amount of variation in syllable composition explained by habitat features increased by two- to three-fold compared to recently colonized populations. Together these results suggest that cultural drift influences syllable repertoires in recently colonized populations, but innovation likely counters syllable loss from colonization. In evolutionarily older populations, the influence of acoustic adaptation increases, possibly favoring a high diversity of syllables. These results suggest that the relative importance of cultural drift and acoustic adaptation changes with time since colonization in island bird populations, highlighting the value of considering multiple mechanisms and timescale of divergence when investigating island song divergence.
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