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Publication Details
AFRICAN RESEARCH NEXUS
SHINING A SPOTLIGHT ON AFRICAN RESEARCH
agricultural and biological sciences
Positive relationships between association strength and phenotypic similarity characterize the assembly of mixed-species bird flocks worldwide
American Naturalist, Volume 180, No. 6, Year 2012
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Description
Competition theory predicts that local communities should consist of species that are more dissimilar than expected by chance. We find a strikingly different pattern in a multicontinent data set (55 presence-absence matrices from 24 locations) on the composition of mixed-species bird flocks, which are important subunits of local bird communities the world over. By using null models and randomization tests followed by meta-analysis, we find the association strengths of species in flocks to be strongly related to similarity in body size and foraging behavior and higher for congeneric compared with noncongeneric species pairs. Given the local spatial scales of our individual analyses, differences in the habitat preferences of species are unlikely to have caused these association patterns; the patterns observed are most likely the outcome of species interactions. Extending group-living and social-information-use theory to a heterospecific context, we discuss potential behavioral mechanisms that lead to positive interactions among similar species in flocks, as well as ways in which competition costs are reduced. Our findings highlight the need to consider positive interactions along with competition when seeking to explain community assembly. © 2012 by The University of Chicago.
Authors & Co-Authors
Gale, George A.
Thailand, Thonburi
King Mongkut's University of Technology Thonburi
Goodale, Eben
United States, La Jolla
School of Biological Sciences
Gram, Wendy K.
United States, Boulder
National Ecological Observatory Network
Hobson, Keith A.
Canada, Gatineau
Environment and Climate Change Canada
Lee, Tienming
United States, New York
Earth Institute
Péron, Guillaume
United States, Fort Collins
Colorado State University
United States, Reston
United States Geological Survey
Robin, V. Vijayan
India, Bengaluru
National Centre for Biological Sciences
Rodewald, Paul G.
United States, Columbus
The Ohio State University
Thomson, Robert Leslie
Finland, Turku
Turun Yliopisto
Van Wilgenburg, Steven L.
Canada, Gatineau
Environment and Climate Change Canada
Shanker, Kartik
India, Bengaluru
Indian Institute of Science
Statistics
Citations: 87
Authors: 11
Affiliations: 21
Identifiers
Doi:
10.1086/668012
ISSN:
00030147
Study Design
Randomised Control Trial
Study Approach
Systematic review