Explosions of the eared dove: the unique case in southeast Brazil

RANVAUD, RONALD D.; BUCHER, ENRIQUE H.

Acta Zoologica Sinica

Lugar: Beijing; Año: 2006 vol. 52 p. 568 - 569

The unique environmental conditions in which eared dove populations exploded in southeast Brazil recently has enabled verification of a general hypothesis that had been put forward to explain earlier dove explosions elsewhere in South America. Large-scale deforestation followed by a sequence of land use developments in different parts of the State of São Paulo, southeast Brazil, produced landscapes that favored, in varying degrees, the presence of doves in high densities. Applying knowledge of dove biology gained from prior experience, it was possible to predict, at least approximately, where and when dove populations might be expected to explode or implode. Observed patterns were surprisingly consistent with predictions after a key feature of local adaptation was taken into account, namely the novel adoption of sugarcane plantationsfor colonial breeding. Previously, breeding had only been recorded in semiarid natural woodland and forest patches, habitats unavailable in the new area of outbreak.