INVESTIGADORES
POLITI natalia
artículos
Título:
Cavity-nesting birds in Neotropical forests: cavities as a potentially limiting resource
Autor/es:
CINTIA CORNELIUS; KRISTINA COCKLE; NATALIA POLITI; IGOR BERKUNSKY; LUIS SANDOVAL; VALERIA OJEDA; LUIS RIVERA; MALCOLM HUNTER, JR.; KATHY MARTIN
Revista:
ORNITOLOGIA NEOTROPICAL
Editorial:
The Neotropical Ornithological Society
Referencias:
Año: 2008 vol. 19 p. 253 - 268
ISSN:
1075-4377
Resumen:
Although cavity-nesting birds are often assumed to be limited by nest site availability, most evidence for nest site limitation has come from human-modified landscapes in North America and Europe. In the Neotropics, little is known about the ecology of cavity- nesting birds or the availability of nest sites for these species, either in mature or disturbed forests. We review published articles and present five case studies that examine cavity availability, potential limitations on populations, cavity reuse, and relationships among cavity-nesters in five forest-like habitats in Central and South America. We did not find conclusive evidence for cavity limitation in undisturbed subtropical forests, where many cavities were available but not used. However, unused cavities were measurably different from active nest cavities showing that it is important to consider cavity quality when assessing cavity availability and nest site limitation. In addition, one of our study cases showed no evidence of interference competition for cavities, despite a high rate of cavity reuse that might suggest cavity limitation. However, in subtropical and temperate forests degraded by logging and fragmentation, there was evidence for reduced density of cavities and potential nest site limitation for cavity-nesting birds. Our case studies suggested that secondary cavity nesters (SCN) in Neotropical forests use mostly non-excavated cavities; however, some SCN prefer excavated cavities, making woodpeckers important cavity-creating agents in some forests. In several Neotropical forests, some tree species were more important than others as substrates for cavities. More research is needed in this region to understand the structure of nest-webs and to determine the conditions under which cavities are limited.