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Seeds consumed by three sympatric species of threatened Sporophila seedeaters: lessons for conservation and grassland restoration

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 November 2024

Ismael Franz Open the ORCID record for Ismael Franz [Opens in a new window] ,
Jeferson Vizentin-Bugoni Open the ORCID record for Jeferson Vizentin-Bugoni [Opens in a new window] ,
Márcio Repenning Open the ORCID record for Márcio Repenning [Opens in a new window] ,
Cristiano E. Rovedder Open the ORCID record for Cristiano E. Rovedder [Opens in a new window] ,
Ilsi I. Boldrini Open the ORCID record for Ilsi I. Boldrini [Opens in a new window]  and
Carla S. Fontana Open the ORCID record for Carla S. Fontana [Opens in a new window]
Ismael Franz*
Affiliation:
Laboratório de Ornitologia, Departamento de Zoologia, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil
Jeferson Vizentin-Bugoni
Affiliation:
Laboratório de Ecologia de Interações & Programa de Pós-Graduação em Biodiversidade Animal, Departamento de Ecologia, Zoologia e Genética, Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Federal de Pelotas, Capão do Leão, Brazil
Márcio Repenning
Affiliation:
Laboratório de Aves Aquáticas e Tartarugas Marinhas, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande, Rio Grande, Brazil
Cristiano E. Rovedder
Affiliation:
Terra Consultoria Ambiental LTDA, Santa Cruz do Sul, Brazil
Ilsi I. Boldrini
Affiliation:
Departamento de Botânica, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil
Carla S. Fontana
Affiliation:
Laboratório de Ecologia de Populações e Comunidades, Departamento e Centro de Ecologia, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil Programa de Pós-Graduação em Biodiversidade Animal, Universidade Federal de Santa Maria, Santa Maria, Brazil
*
Corresponding author: Ismael Franz; Email: [email protected]
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Summary

Resource partitioning is a critical mechanism underlying the coexistence of close relative species that feed on similar resources. Based on foraging data, we built a plant–seedeater interaction network for three sympatric species of Neotropical seedeaters – namely Tropeiro Seedeater Sporophila beltoni, Black-bellied Seedeater Sporophila melanogaster, and Tawny-bellied Seedeater Sporophila hypoxantha, and tested to what extent the three species shared resources. The interaction network was non-nested and modular, forming three modules, each one comprising one seedeater species and their most consumed plants, indicating the existence of resource partitioning. Modules may result from multiple non-exclusive factors, including differences among seedeater species in habitat use, bill sizes, feeding habits, structure of vegetation for nesting, and abiotic factors that influence plant composition. Our results indicate that the effective conservation of these species requires the protection of areas that include the three distinct subsets of plants used by these birds during the breeding season and also indicates which plants may be used for the restoration of grasslands in the region.

Keywords

GranivorySouth American grasslandsSporophila beltoniSporophila hypoxanthaSporophila melanogaster
Type
Short Communication
Information
Bird Conservation International , Volume 34 , 2024 , e36
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2024. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of BirdLife International

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