BIRD SPECIES THAT DISPERSE NATIVE SEEDS OF THE CHACO SERRANO FOREST IN A NATURE RESERVE OF CENTRAL ARGENTINA

REATI, CARLA A.; TOLEDO, JOSÉ; PELUC, SUSANA INES

ORNITOLOGIA NEOTROPICAL

NEOTROPICAL ORNITHOLOGICAL SOC

Lugar: ALEMANIA; Año: 2023

1075-4377

Birds are capable of linking ecosystems throughout the dispersion of seeds. Such a role turns them into key elements to mitigate habitat fragmentation effects. However, it has been postulated that only legitimate dispersers may provide this service. In Vaquerías Nature Reserve, located in a fragmented landscape of the Chaco Serrano Forest, we captured birds between January and April of 2017 and 2018, retrieved whole seeds from their feces, and evaluated their germination to identify the assembly of bird species that serve as seed dispersed in the area. From feces of nine bird species, we retrieved over 100 seeds of 13 native plant species. Based on the number of whole seeds recovered from feces and their germinability, we recognized the Small-billed Elaenia (Elaenia parvirostris), the Creamy-bellied Thrush (Turdus amaurochalinus), the Black-and-chestnut Warbling Finch (Poospiza whitti), the Rufous-collared Sparrow (Zonotrichia capensis), and the Golden-billed Saltator (Saltator aurantiirostris) as seed dispersers of native plants in the reserve. It is worth noting that not all these species are considered frugivorous and seed dispersers. For example, the Rufous-collared Sparrow and the Golden-billed Saltator have been previously considered as granivorous, and traditionally thought of as seed predators disregarding their potential role of seed dispersers. Our results, however, indicated that they may act as legitimate dispersers of some native species. This study highlights the need to further evaluate the functional role as seed dispersers of several bird species that include fruits in their diet, considering not only fruit handling and consumption, but also information regarding seed viability and germination.