Hostname: page-component-7c8c6479df-fqc5m Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-03-28T22:33:41.577Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Reduced diet breadth in the Scarlet Macaw Ara macao of the Área de Conservación Osa (ACOSA), Costa Rica: Implications for conservation and ecotourism

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  06 March 2020

JOSEPH O.E. HAMM*
Affiliation:
School of Biology, University of St. Andrews, St. Andrews, Fife, UK. Society for Environmental Exploration, 50-52 Rivington Street, London, UK.
GRACE M. BOND
Affiliation:
School of Anthropology and Conservation, University of Kent, Canterbury, Kent, UK. Society for Environmental Exploration, 50-52 Rivington Street, London, UK.
LAURA C. EXLEY
Affiliation:
Society for Environmental Exploration, 50-52 Rivington Street, London, UK.
EMMA A. KOREIN
Affiliation:
Society for Environmental Exploration, 50-52 Rivington Street, London, UK.
*
*Author for correspondence; email: joseph.hamm@hotmail.com

Summary

The Área de Conservación Osa (ACOSA) contains the largest population of Scarlet Macaws Ara macao in Costa Rica. Despite their influence on ecosystem dynamics and status as a flagship species, empirical data on the foraging patterns of this population is lacking. This information is crucial in implementing effective conservation strategies, particularly reintroduction attempts. Observations of feeding behaviour were made systematically over a 12-month period to provide the first direct examination of Scarlet Macaw diet within the ACOSA region. Scarlet Macaws feed on various items including seeds, flowers, bark, and leaf-gall larvae. Key findings included a demonstration of a smaller dietary niche breadth than that recorded for other Central American populations, use of button mangrove Conocarpus erectus, a species not previously recognised as a food source for Scarlet Macaws, and a heavy reliance on an exotic non-native species, Terminalia catappa. We argue that whilst human-modified coastal locations may present viable habitat for Scarlet Macaws, anthropogenic influences including the removal of native food sources and proliferation of exotic and cultivated species have left the Scarlet Macaws of the ACOSA particularly dependent on a small number of species.

Resumen

Resumen

El Área de Conservación Osa (ACOSA) contiene la mayor población de Guacamayos Rojos Ara macao de Costa Rica. Pese a su influencia en las dinámicas del ecosistema y su estatus de especie bandera, faltan datos empíricos sobre los patrones de búsqueda de alimento de esta población. Esta información es crucial para implementar estrategias de conservación efectivas y, particularmente, para llevar a cabo intentos de reintroducción. Observaciones del comportamiento alimentario fueron realizadas de manera sistemática durante un período de 12 meses para proporcionar el primer examen directo de la dieta del Guacamayo Rojo dentro de la región de ACOSA. Los guacamayos rojos se alimentan, entre otros, de semillas, flores, de la corteza de los árboles y de larvas en las agallas de las hojas. Los hallazgos clave incluyeron una demostración de que la amplitud del nicho alimentario es menor que la registrada para otras poblaciones centroamericanas, el uso del mangle botón Conocarpus erectus, el cual es una especie previamente no reconocida como fuente de alimento de los guacamayos rojo, y una gran dependencia de una especie exótica no nativa, Terminalia catappa. Nuestro argumento es que, aunque las localizaciones costeras modificadas por el hombre pueden representar un hábitat viable para los guacamayos rojo, ciertas influencias antrópicas entre las que se encuentran la eliminación de fuentes de alimento nativas y la proliferación de especies exóticas y cultivadas han dejado a los guacamayos rojo de ACOSA particularmente dependientes de un pequeño número de especies.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
© BirdLife International, 2020

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Amaya-Villarreal, Á. M., Estrada, A. and Vargas-Ramírez, N. (2015) Use of wild foods during the rainy season by a reintroduced population of Scarlet Macaws (Ara macao cyanoptera) in Palenque, Mexico. Trop. Conserv. Sci. 8: 455-478.10.1177/194008291500800211CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Baños-Villalba, A., Blanco, G., Díaz-Luque, J. A., Dénes, F. V., Hiraldo, F. and Tella, J. L. (2017) Seed dispersal by macaws shapes the landscape of an Amazonian ecosystem. Sci. Reports 7: 7373.Google ScholarPubMed
Berkunsky, I., Quillfeldt, P., Brightsmith, D. J., Abbud, M. C., Aguilar, J. M. R. E., Alemán-Zelaya, U., Aramburú, R. M., Arce Arias, A., Balas McNab, R., Balsby, T. J. S., Barredo Barberena, J. M., Beissinger, S. R., Rosales, M., Berg, K. S., Bianchi, C. A., Blanco, E., Bodrati, A., Bonilla-Ruz, C., Botero-Delgadillo, E., Canavelli, S. B., Caparroz, R., Cepeda, R. E., Chassot, O., Cinta-Magallón, C., Cockle, K. L., Daniele, G., De Araujo, C. B., De Barbosa, A. E., De Moura, L. N., Del Castillo, H., Díaz, S., Díaz-Luque, J. A., Douglas, L., Figueroa Rodríguez, A., García-Anleu, R. A., Gilardi, J. D., Grilli, P. G., Guix, J. C., Hernández, M., Hernández-Muñoz, A., Hiraldo, F., Horstman, E., Ibarra Portillo, R., Isacch, J. P., Jiménez, J. E., Joyner, L., Juarez, M., Kacoliris, F. P., Kanaan, V. T., Klemann-Júnior, L., Latta, S. C., Lee, A. T. K., Lesterhuis, A., Lezama-López, M., Lugarini, C., Marateo, G., Marinelli, C. B., Martínez, J., McReynolds, M. S., Mejia Urbina, C. R., Monge-Arias, G., Monterrubio-Rico, T. C., Nunes, A. P., Nunes, F., Olaciregui, C., Ortega-Arguelles, J., Pacifico, E., Pagano, L., Politi, N., Ponce-Santizo, G., Portillo Reyes, H. O., Prestes, N. P., Presti, F., Renton, K., Reyes-Macedo, G., Ringler, E., Rivera, L., Rodríguez-Ferraro, A., Rojas-Valverde, A. M., Rojas-Llanos, R. E., Rubio-Rocha, Y. G., Saidenberg, A. B. S., Salinas-Melgoza, A., Sanz, V., Schaefer, H. M., Scherer-Neto, P., Seixas, G. H. F., Serafini, P., Silveira, L. F., Sipinski, E. A. B., Somenzari, M., Susanibar, D., Tella, J. L., Torres-Sovero, C., Trofino-Falasco, C., Vargas-Rodríguez, R., Vázquez-Reyes, L. D., White, T. H., Williams, S., Zarza, R. and Masello, J. F. (2017) Current threats faced by Neotropical parrot populations. Biol. Conserv. 214: 278-287.10.1016/j.biocon.2017.08.016CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Blanco, G., Bravo, C., Pacifico, E. C., Chamorro, D., Speziale, K. L., Lambertucci, S. A., Hiraldo, F. and Tella, J. L. (2016) Internal seed dispersal by parrots: an overview of a neglected mutualism. PeerJ, 4: e1688. doi: 10.7717/peerj.1688.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Blanco, G., Hiraldo, F., Rojas, A., Dénes, F. V. and Tella, J. L. (2015) Parrots as key multilinkers in ecosystem structure and functioning. Ecol. Evol. 5: 4141-4160.10.1002/ece3.1663CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Brightsmith, D., Hilburn, J., Del Campo, A., Boyd, J., Frisius, M., Frisius, R. and Guillen, F. (2005) The use of hand-raised psittacines for reintroduction: a case study of Scarlet Macaws (Ara macao) in Peru and Costa Rica. Biol. Conserv. 121: 465-472.10.1016/j.biocon.2004.05.016CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Brightsmith, D. J., Stronza, A. and Holle, K. (2008) Ecotourism, conservation biology, and volunteer tourism: A mutually beneficial triumvirate. Biol. Conserv. 141: 2832-2842.10.1016/j.biocon.2008.08.020CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bucher, E. H. (1992) Neotropical parrots as agricultural pests. Pp 201-209 in , S. R. Beissinger and Snyder, N. F. R., eds. New World parrots in crisis: solutions from conservation biology. New York: Smithsonian Institution Press.Google Scholar
Buchholz, R. (2007) Behavioural biology: an effective and relevant conservation tool. Trends Ecol. Evol. 22: 401-407.10.1016/j.tree.2007.06.002CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Caro, T. (1999) The behaviour–conservation interface. Trends Ecol. Evol. 14: 366-369.10.1016/S0169-5347(99)01663-8CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Carrillo, E., Wong, G. and Cuarón, A. D. (2008) Monitoring mammal populations in Costa Rican protected areas under different hunting restrictions. Conserv. Biol. 14: 1580-1591.10.1111/j.1523-1739.2000.99103.xCrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cifuentes, M., Alpizar, W. and Barroso, F. (1983). Plan de manejo y desarrollo: Reserva Biológica Carara. San José, Costa Rica: Servicio de Parques Nacionales, Ministerio de Recursos Naturales.Google Scholar
Colwell, R. K. and Futuyma, D. J. (1971) On the measurement of niche breadth and overlap. Ecology 52: 567-576.10.2307/1934144CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Davis, M. A., Chew, M. K., Hobbs, R. J., Lugo, A. E., Ewel, J. J., Vermeij, G. J., Brown, J. H., Rosenzweig, M. L., Gardener, M. R., Carroll, S. P., Pickett, S. T. A., Stromberg, J. C., Tredici, P. D., Suding, K. N., Ehrenfeld, J. G., Grime, J. P., Mascaro, J., Briggs, J. C. and Thompson, K. (2011) Don't judge species on their origins. Nature 474: 153-154.10.1038/474153aCrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Dear, F., Vaughan, C. and Polanco, A. M. (2010) Current status and conservation of the Scarlet Macaw (Ara macao) in the Osa Conservation Area (ACOSA), Costa Rica. UNED Research Journal 2: 7-21.10.22458/urj.v2i1.218CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Eckert, J. (1990) Orange-bellied parrots feeding on a cultivated crop. South Australian Ornithologist 31: 16-17.Google Scholar
Enkerlin-Hoeflich, E., Gilardi, J., Vaughan, C. Wiedenfeld, D. (2000) Neotropics (Americas). Pp. 98-151 in Snyder, N. F. and McGowan, P., eds. Parrots: status survey and conservation action plan 2000-2004. Gland, Switzerland: IUCN.Google Scholar
Estrada, A. (2014) Reintroduction of the Scarlet Macaw (Ara macao cyanoptera) in the tropical rainforests of Palenque, Mexico: project design and first year progress. Trop. Conserv. Sci. 7: 342-364.10.1177/194008291400700301CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Feinsinger, P., Spears, E. E. and Poole, R. W. (1981) A simple measure of niche breadth. Ecology 62: 27-32.10.2307/1936664CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Figueras, R. (2014) Scarlet Macaw Ara macao cyanoptera conservation programme in Mexico. Internatn. Zoo Yearbook 48: 48-60.10.1111/izy.12049CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gargiullo, M. (2008) A field guide to plants of Costa Rica. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Gilardi, J. D. and Munn, C. A. (1998) Patterns of activity, flocking, and habitat use in parrots of the Peruvian Amazon. Condor 100: 641-653.10.2307/1369745CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Grenier, J. L. and Beissinger, S. R. (1999) Variation in the onset of incubation in a neotropical parrot. Condor 101: 752-761.10.2307/1370062CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Guedes, N. M. R. (2004) Management and conservation of the large macaws in the wild. Ornitol. Neotrop. 15: 279-283.Google Scholar
Guittar, J. L., Dear, F. and Vaughan, C. (2009) Scarlet Macaw (Ara macao, Psittaciformes: Psittacidae) nest characteristics in the Osa Peninsula Conservation Area (ACOSA), Costa Rica. Rev. Biol. Tropical 57: 387-393.Google Scholar
Hanson, P., Nishida, K. and Gómez-Laurito, J. (2014) Insect leaf-galls of Costa Rica and their parasitoids. Pp. 497-518 in Fernandes, G. W. and Santos, J. C., eds. Neotropical insect galls. Dordrecht, The Netherlands: Springer.10.1007/978-94-017-8783-3_23CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Henn, J. J., McCoy, M. B. and Vaughan, C. S. (2014) Beach almond (Terminalia catappa, Combretaceae) seed production and predation by Scarlet Macaws (Ara macao) and variegated squirrels (Sciurus variegatoides). Rev. Biol. Tropical 62: 929-938.10.15517/rbt.v62i3.14060CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Holdridge, L. R. (1967) Life zone ecology. Revised edition. San Jose, Costa Rica: Tropical Science Centre.Google Scholar
Janzen, D. H. (1967) Synchronization of sexual reproduction of trees within the dry season in Central America. Evolution 21: 620-637.10.1111/j.1558-5646.1967.tb03416.xCrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Lee, A. T., Brightsmith, D. J., Vargas, M. P., Leon, K. Q., Mejia, A. J. and Marsden, S. J. (2014) Diet and geophagy across a western Amazonian parrot assemblage. Biotropica 46: 322-330.10.1111/btp.12099CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Levins, R. (1968) Evolution in changing environments. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.10.1515/9780691209418CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lobo, J., Aguilar, R., Chacón, E. and Fuchs, E. (2008) Phenology of tree species of the Osa Peninsula and Golfo Dulce region, Costa Rica. Stapfia 88: 547-555.Google Scholar
Marineros, L. and Vaughan, C. (1995) Scarlet Macaws of Carara. Pp. 445-467 in Abramson, J. Speer, B. and Thomsen, J., eds. The large macaws: their care, breeding and conservation. Fort Bragg, CA: Raintree Publications.Google Scholar
Martuscelli, P. (1994) Maroon-bellied Conures feed on gall-forming homopteran larvae. Wilson Bull. 106: 769-770.Google Scholar
Matuzak, G. D., Bezy, M. B. and Brightsmith, D. J. (2008) Foraging ecology of parrots in a modified landscape: seasonal trends and introduced species. Wilson J. Ornithol. 120: 353-365.10.1676/07-038.1CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Minca, C. and Linda, M. (2000) Ecotourism on the edge: the case of Corcovado National Park, Costa Rica. Pp. 103-126 in Font, X. and Tribe, J., eds. Forest tourism and recreation. Case studies in environmental management. Wallingford: CAB International.Google Scholar
Monge, O., Schmidt, K., Vaughan, C. and Gutiérrez-Espeleta, G. (2016) Genetic patterns and conservation of the Scarlet Macaw (Ara macao) in Costa Rica. Conserv. Genet. 17: 745-750.10.1007/s10592-015-0804-3CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Myers, M. C. and Vaughan, C. (2004) Movement and behavior of Scarlet Macaws (Ara macao) during the post-fledging dependence period: implications for in situ versus ex situ management. Biol. Conserv. 118: 411-420.10.1016/j.biocon.2003.09.018CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Nader, W., Werner, D. and Wink, M. (1999) Genetic diversity of Scarlet Macaws Ara macao in reintroduction studies for threatened populations in Costa Rica. Biol. Conserv. 87: 269-272.10.1016/S0006-3207(98)00043-3CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pitter, E. and Christiansen, M. B. (1995) Ecology, status and conservation of the red-fronted macaw Ara rubrogenys. Bird Conserv. Internatn. 5: 61-78.10.1017/S0959270900002951CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Team, R Core (2014) R: A language and environment for statistical computing. Vienna, Austria: R Foundation for Statistical Computing. http://www.R-project.org/.Google Scholar
Renton, (2000 ) Scarlet Macaw. Pp. 251-255 in Reading, R. P. and Miller, B., eds. Endangered animals: A reference guide to conflicting issues. Westport: Greenwood Press.Google Scholar
Renton, K. (2001) Lilac-crowned Parrot diet and food resource availability: resource tracking by a parrot seed predator. Condor 103: 62-69.10.1093/condor/103.1.62CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Renton, K. (2006) Diet of adult and nestling Scarlet Macaws in southwest Belize, Central America. Biotropica 38: 280-283.10.1111/j.1744-7429.2006.00123.xCrossRefGoogle Scholar
Renton, K., Salinas-Melgoza, A., De Labra-Hernández, M. Á. and de la Parra-Martínez, S. M. (2015) Resource requirements of parrots: nest site selectivity and dietary plasticity of Psittaciformes. J. Ornithol. 156: 73-90.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Schoener, T. W. (1988) Leaf damage in island buttonwood, Conocarpus erectus: correlations with pubescence, island area, isolation and the distribution of major carnivores. Oikos 53: 253-266.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Snyder, N. F., King, W. B. and Kepler, C. B. (1982) Biology and conservation of the Bahama Parrot. Living Bird 19: 91-114.Google Scholar
Stem, C. J., Lassoie, J. P., Lee, D. R. and Deshler, D. J. (2003) How 'eco' is ecotourism? A comparative case study of ecotourism in Costa Rica. J. Sustainable Tourism 11: 322-347.10.1080/09669580308667210CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Stromberg, J. C., Chew, M. K., Nagler, P. L. and Glenn, E. P. (2009) Changing perceptions of change: the role of scientists in Tamarix and river management. Restoration Ecol. 17: 177-186.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sutherland, W. J. (1998) The importance of behavioural studies in conservation biology. Anim. Behav. 56: 801-809.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Vaughan, C. (2011) Change in dense forest habitat for endangered wildlife species in Costa Rica from 1940 to 1977. UNED Research J. 3: 99-161.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Vaughan, C., Nemeth, N. and Marineros, L. (2003) Ecology and management of natural and artificial Scarlet Macaw (Ara macao) nest cavities in Costa Rica. Ornitol. Neotrop. 14: 1-16.Google Scholar
Vaughan, C., Nemeth, N. M., Cary, J. and Temple, S. (2005) Response of a Scarlet Macaw (Ara macao) population to conservation practices in Costa Rica. Bird Conserv. Internatn. 15: 119-130.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Vaughan, C., Nemeth, N. and Marineros, L. (2006) Scarlet Macaw, Ara macao, (Psittaciformes: Psittacidae) diet in Central Pacific Costa Rica. Rev. Biol. Tropical 54: 919-926.Google ScholarPubMed
Vaughan, C., Bremer, M. and Dear, F. (2009) Scarlet Macaw (Ara macao) (Psitaciformes: Psittacidae) Parental nest visitation in Costa Rica: Implications for research and conservation. Rev. Biol. Tropical 57: 395-400.Google ScholarPubMed
White, T. H. Jr, Collar, N. J., Moorhouse, R. J., Sanz, V., Stolen, E. D. and Brightsmith, D. J. (2012) Psittacine reintroductions: common denominators of success. Biol. Conserv. 148: 106-115.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wiedenfeld, D. A. (1994) A new subspecies of Scarlet Macaw and its status and conservation. Ornitol. Neotrop. 5: 99-104.Google Scholar