Shade coffee or native forest? Indicators of winter habitat quality for a long-distance migratory bird in the Colombian Andes
Neotropical migratory songbirds overwintering at mid elevations in the Andes of northern South America depend on remnants of native forest and shade-grown coffee plantations. The quality of such habitats is one of the primary ecological factors limiting survival of migratory birds during the non-bre...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Elsevier
2021-11-01
|
| Series: | Ecological Indicators |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1470160X21007809 |
| _version_ | 1818742244151132160 |
|---|---|
| author | Ana M. González Nicholas J. Bayly Scott Wilson Keith A. Hobson |
| author_facet | Ana M. González Nicholas J. Bayly Scott Wilson Keith A. Hobson |
| author_sort | Ana M. González |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Neotropical migratory songbirds overwintering at mid elevations in the Andes of northern South America depend on remnants of native forest and shade-grown coffee plantations. The quality of such habitats is one of the primary ecological factors limiting survival of migratory birds during the non-breeding season. We assessed the relative quality of shade-grown coffee plantations vs. forest in the Colombian Andes as winter habitat for Swainson’s Thrush (Catharus ustulatus). We hypothesized that native forest has a higher intrinsic value (i.e., food abundance) than shade-coffee plantations, as native forest was the original habitat for Swainsońs Thrush. We compared thrush physical condition, density, feather corticosterone values, and apparent annual survival as indicators of habitat quality in these two habitats. Measures of body condition and density were higher in forest than in shade-grown coffee, while survival was similar between habitats. This implies that forest had a higher carrying capacity than shade coffee and therefore had higher intrinsic value. Seasonal trends in body condition revealed a decline in the quality of forest with the onset of the dry season in early winter and an increase during late winter in line with increasing rainfall, suggesting that the timing of the rainy season likely offsets the negative effects of seasonal drought. Feather corticosterone levels were higher in forest, possibly as a result of a density-dependent stress response, however, we cannot rule out the effects of food availability or its distribution in space on stress levels. Our indicators suggested that native forest is a higher-quality winter habitat than shade-grown coffee. Our findings highlight how individual indicators of habitat quality can be misleading and emphasize the value of using multiple measures. While shade coffee is a critical habitat in the absence of native forest and its importance for the conservation of migratory birds is widely accepted, our results indicate that the conservation of native forest must be a conservation priority wherever possible. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-18T02:09:26Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-a63e00f56a3b4011beceb25494c37822 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1470-160X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-18T02:09:26Z |
| publishDate | 2021-11-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Ecological Indicators |
| spelling | doaj.art-a63e00f56a3b4011beceb25494c378222022-12-21T21:24:31ZengElsevierEcological Indicators1470-160X2021-11-01131108115Shade coffee or native forest? Indicators of winter habitat quality for a long-distance migratory bird in the Colombian AndesAna M. González0Nicholas J. Bayly1Scott Wilson2Keith A. Hobson3Department of Biology, University of Saskatchewan, 112 Science Place, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan S7N 5E2, Canada; SELVA: Investigación para la Conservación en el Neotrópico, Diagonal 42A No 20 - 37, Barrio La Soledad, Bogotá, Colombia; Corresponding author.SELVA: Investigación para la Conservación en el Neotrópico, Diagonal 42A No 20 - 37, Barrio La Soledad, Bogotá, ColombiaWildlife Research Division, Environment and Climate Change Canada, National Pacific Wildlife Research Centre, 5421 Robertson Road, Delta, BC, V4K 3Y31125 Colonel by Drive, Ottawa, ON K1A 0H3, Canada; Department of Forest and Conservation Sciences, University of British Columbia, 2424 Main Mall, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, CanadaDepartment of Biology, University of Saskatchewan, 112 Science Place, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan S7N 5E2, Canada; Environment and Climate Change Canada, 11 Innovation Boulevard, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan S7N 5H5, Canada; Department of Biology, University of Western Ontario, 1151 Richmond St. N, London, ON N6A 5B7, CanadaNeotropical migratory songbirds overwintering at mid elevations in the Andes of northern South America depend on remnants of native forest and shade-grown coffee plantations. The quality of such habitats is one of the primary ecological factors limiting survival of migratory birds during the non-breeding season. We assessed the relative quality of shade-grown coffee plantations vs. forest in the Colombian Andes as winter habitat for Swainson’s Thrush (Catharus ustulatus). We hypothesized that native forest has a higher intrinsic value (i.e., food abundance) than shade-coffee plantations, as native forest was the original habitat for Swainsońs Thrush. We compared thrush physical condition, density, feather corticosterone values, and apparent annual survival as indicators of habitat quality in these two habitats. Measures of body condition and density were higher in forest than in shade-grown coffee, while survival was similar between habitats. This implies that forest had a higher carrying capacity than shade coffee and therefore had higher intrinsic value. Seasonal trends in body condition revealed a decline in the quality of forest with the onset of the dry season in early winter and an increase during late winter in line with increasing rainfall, suggesting that the timing of the rainy season likely offsets the negative effects of seasonal drought. Feather corticosterone levels were higher in forest, possibly as a result of a density-dependent stress response, however, we cannot rule out the effects of food availability or its distribution in space on stress levels. Our indicators suggested that native forest is a higher-quality winter habitat than shade-grown coffee. Our findings highlight how individual indicators of habitat quality can be misleading and emphasize the value of using multiple measures. While shade coffee is a critical habitat in the absence of native forest and its importance for the conservation of migratory birds is widely accepted, our results indicate that the conservation of native forest must be a conservation priority wherever possible.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1470160X21007809Neotropical migrantsHabitat qualityShade coffeeWinter habitat |
| spellingShingle | Ana M. González Nicholas J. Bayly Scott Wilson Keith A. Hobson Shade coffee or native forest? Indicators of winter habitat quality for a long-distance migratory bird in the Colombian Andes Ecological Indicators Neotropical migrants Habitat quality Shade coffee Winter habitat |
| title | Shade coffee or native forest? Indicators of winter habitat quality for a long-distance migratory bird in the Colombian Andes |
| title_full | Shade coffee or native forest? Indicators of winter habitat quality for a long-distance migratory bird in the Colombian Andes |
| title_fullStr | Shade coffee or native forest? Indicators of winter habitat quality for a long-distance migratory bird in the Colombian Andes |
| title_full_unstemmed | Shade coffee or native forest? Indicators of winter habitat quality for a long-distance migratory bird in the Colombian Andes |
| title_short | Shade coffee or native forest? Indicators of winter habitat quality for a long-distance migratory bird in the Colombian Andes |
| title_sort | shade coffee or native forest indicators of winter habitat quality for a long distance migratory bird in the colombian andes |
| topic | Neotropical migrants Habitat quality Shade coffee Winter habitat |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1470160X21007809 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT anamgonzalez shadecoffeeornativeforestindicatorsofwinterhabitatqualityforalongdistancemigratorybirdinthecolombianandes AT nicholasjbayly shadecoffeeornativeforestindicatorsofwinterhabitatqualityforalongdistancemigratorybirdinthecolombianandes AT scottwilson shadecoffeeornativeforestindicatorsofwinterhabitatqualityforalongdistancemigratorybirdinthecolombianandes AT keithahobson shadecoffeeornativeforestindicatorsofwinterhabitatqualityforalongdistancemigratorybirdinthecolombianandes |