Hostname: page-component-848d4c4894-r5zm4 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-06-21T02:09:26.619Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Honeydew foraging by birds in tropical montane forests and pastures of Mexico

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  30 March 2010

Heather A. Gamper  and
Suzanne Koptur
Heather A. Gamper
Affiliation:
Department of Biological Sciences, Florida International University, Miami, FL 33199, USA
Suzanne Koptur
Affiliation:
Department of Biological Sciences, Florida International University, Miami, FL 33199, USA
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract:

A honeydew-producing scale insect, Stigmacoccus garmilleri (Margarodidae), is associated with oak trees (Quercus spp.) in highland forests of Mexico. Although feeding by ants on scale-insect honeydew is more frequently documented in the literature, the honeydew produced by feeding instars of S. garmilleri is sufficient to provide nourishment for birds. This study elucidates bird use of honeydew in the tropical montane forests near Chiconquiaco, Veracruz, Mexico, and uncovers patterns in honeydew foraging. Over a 2-mo period, 40 trees harbouring scale insects, located in both forest and pasture areas, were intensely studied (160 h of bird-foraging observations along with quantitative measurements of honeydew production). Fifteen resident bird species and 18 migrant species were observed visiting observation trees. Approximately 72% of the resident bird species and 83% of the migrant bird species observed were recorded to forage on scale-insect honeydew. Audubon's warbler (Dendroica coronata auduboni) was the most active consumer and defender of the resource. Of 118 aggressive chases observed, only 9.65% occurred in forest observation trees, and 90.3% in pasture trees. Audubon's warbler demonstrated preferential defence and territorial patrolling of scale-insect honeydew in scattered pasture trees.

Keywords

avianland use changeMargarodidaeplant–animal interactionsresource defencescale insectsscattered treesStigmacoccus
Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Tropical Ecology , Volume 26 , Issue 3 , May 2010 , pp. 335 - 341
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2010

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

LITERATURE CITED

BACH, C. E. 1991. Direct and indirect interactions between ants (Pheidole megacephala), scales (Coccus viridis) and plants (Pluchea indica). Oecologia 87:233–239.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
BEGGS, J. 2001. The ecological consequences of social wasps (Vespula spp.) invading an ecosystem that has an abundant carbohydrate resource. Biological Conservation 99:17–28.Google Scholar
BUCKLEY, R. 1987. Ant–plant–homopteran interactions. Advances in Ecological Research 16:53–85.Google Scholar
CAYUELA, L., GOLICHER, D. J., BENAYAS, J. M. R., GONZALEZ-ESPINOSA, M. & RAMIREZ-MARCIAL, N. 2006. Fragmentation, disturbance and tree diversity conservation in tropical montane forests. Journal of Applied Ecology 43:1172–1181.Google Scholar
CLEMENTS, J. F. 2000. Birds of the world: a checklist. (Fifth edition). Ibis Publishing Company, Vista. 867 pp.Google Scholar
FEINSINGER, P. 1976. Organization of a tropical guild of nectarivorous birds. Ecological Monographs 46:257–291.Google Scholar
GAZE, P. D. & CLOUT, M. N. 1983. Honeydew and its importance to birds in beech forests of South Island, New Zealand. New Zealand Journal of Ecology 6:33–37.Google Scholar
GIBBONS, P., LINDENMAYER, D. B., FISCHER, J., MANNING, A. D., WEINBERG, A., SEDDON, J., RYAN, P. & BARRETT, G. 2008. The future of scattered trees in agricultural landscapes. Conservation Biology 22:1309–1319.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
GREENBERG, R., CABALLERO, C. M. & BICHIER, P. 1993. Defense of homopteran honeydew by birds in the Mexican highlands and other warm temperate forests. Oikos 68:519–524.Google Scholar
GREENBERG, R., REITSMA, R. & CRUZ ANGON, A. 1996. Interspecific aggression by Yellow Warblers in a sun coffee plantation. Condor 98:640–642.Google Scholar
HODGSON, C., GAMPER, H., BOGO, A. & WATSON, G. 2007. A taxonomic review of the Margarodoid genus Stigmacoccus Hempel (Hemiptera: Sternorrhyncha: Coccoidea: Stigmacoccidae), with some details on their biology. Zootaxa 1507:1–55.Google Scholar
HUGHES, J. B., DAILY, G. C. & EHRLICH, P. R. 2002. Conservation of tropical forest birds in countryside habitats. Ecology Letters 5:121–129.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
JIRÓN, L. F. & SALAS, S. 1975. Simbiosis entre “cochinillas de cola” (Coccoidea: Margarodidae) y otros insectos. Brenesia 5:67–71.Google Scholar
KOSTER, F. & STOEWESAND, H. 1973. Schildläuse als Honigtaulieferanten für Kolibris und Insekten. Bonner Zoologische Beitraege 24:15–23.Google Scholar
LATTA, S. C. & FAABORG, J. 2002. Demographic and population responses of Cape May Warblers wintering in multiple habitats. Ecology 83:2502–2515.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
LATTA, S. C., GAMPER, H. A. & TIETZ, J. R. 2001. Revising the convergence hypothesis of avian use of honeydew: evidence from Dominican subtropical dry forest. Oikos 93:250–259.Google Scholar
MAC NALLY, R. & TIMEWELL, C. A. R. 2005. Resource availability controls bird-assemblage composition through interspecific aggression. Auk 122:1097–1111.Google Scholar
MALE, T. D. & ROBERTS, G. E. 2002. Defense of fruiting trees by birds in an Australian forest. Biotropica 34:172–176.Google Scholar
MANNING, A. D., FISCHER, J. & LINDENMAYER, D. B. 2006. Scattered trees are keystone structures – implications for conservation. Biological Conservation 132:311–321.Google Scholar
MURPHY, D. J. & KELLY, D. 2003. Seasonal variation in the honeydew, invertebrate, fruit and nectar resource for bellbirds in a New Zealand mountain beech forest. New Zealand Journal of Ecology 27:11–23.Google Scholar
ORIANS, G. H. & WILLSON, M. F. 1964. Interspecific territories of birds. Ecology 45:736–745.Google Scholar
PATON, D. C. 1980. The importance of manna, honeydew, and lerp in the diets of honeyeaters. Emu 80:213–226.Google Scholar
PRATT, T. K. 1984. Examples of tropical frugivores defending fruit-bearing plants. Condor 86:123–129.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
REICHHOLF, H. & REICHHOLF, J. 1973. “Honigtau” der Bracaatinga-Schildlaus als Winternahrung für Kolibris (Trochilidae) in Süd-Brasilien. Bonner Zoologische Beitraege 24:7–14.Google Scholar
WATSON, D. M. 2003. Long-term consequences of habitat fragmentation—highland birds in Oaxaca, Mexico. Biological Conservation 111:283–303.Google Scholar
WAY, M. J. 1963. Mutualism between ants and honeydew-producing Homoptera. Annual Review of Entomology 8:307–344.Google Scholar
WILLIAMS, J. R. & WILLIAMS, D. J. 1980. Excretory behaviour in soft scales (Hemiptera: Coccidae). Bulletin of Entomological Research 70:253–257.Google Scholar
WILLIAMS-LINERA, G., DEVALL, M. S. & ALVAREZ-AQUINO, C. 2000. A relict population of Fagus grandifolia var. mexicana at the Acatlan Volcano, Mexico: structure, litterfall, phenology and dendroecology. Journal of Biogeography 27:1297–1309.Google Scholar
WOINARSKI, J. C. Z. 1984. Small birds, lerp-feeding and the problem of honeyeaters. Emu 84:137–141.Google Scholar