Embedded Files
Bucco capensis (Collared puffbird)
Spatial & Temporal Patterns
Spatial & Temporal Patterns
Chiroxiphia pareola (Blue-backed manakin)
Manakin Behavior and Ecology
Manakin Behavior and Ecology
PROJECT DESCRIPTION:
There are two main components to our research on birds at Tiputini. One focus is on the spatial and temporal patterns of occurrence of birds on two 100-ha study plots. We use two main methods for this research. We use mist nets at specific locations on each plot to capture birds that are found in the forest understory. Birds are fitted with numbered aluminum leg bands that allow us to individually identify captures and to track their movement through recaptures on the plots. We also use direct observations along transects on each plot to document the occurrence of birds that are found above mist net level. By using both methods, we obtain a more complete picture of the bird communities. We also use passive acoustic monitors to record vocal activity of birds during the morning, a non-intrusive way to learn about their behavior. A second focus of research is on a specific group of birds, the manakins. Manakins are lek breeders, meaning that males gather in traditional locations and try to attract females through song and dance. This mating system provides opportunities for asking many different questions relating to behavior and ecology. We are interested in, for example, how consistent male manakins of several species are in their distribution within leks (i.e., do numbers of males and their positions change across years). We also have examined distribution patterns of leks in relation to environmental features as well as the role of manakins as seed dispersal agents.
RESEARCH TEAM
Principal Investigators: John G. Blake, Bette A. Loiselle
Past Collaborators: Renata Durães, Jose Hidalgo, T. Brandt Ryder, Wendy S. Tori, Ghislaine Cárdenas-Posada
POSSIBLE COLLABORATIONS
We are open to any collaborations on birds. Currently we are collaborating on acoustic monitoring.
PROJECT HISTORY
We initiated these studies in 2001 when we established our two 100-ha study plots. Such large study plots are essential for studies on bird communities in the tropics because many species are rare and/or have large territories. Our basic questions at the start of the study were simply what species are present and in what numbers; and which species of manakins are present on each plot, where are their leks located, and what factors influence their reproductive success. Over the years, we have been able to examine survival rates of birds captured and recaptured in the understory, compared community composition at Tiputini to results from other areas of the tropics, investigated prevalence of blood parasites, and learned much about the breeding biology of manakins. By sampling birds every year for many years, we are able to document that many species have declined in numbers or, in some cases, have locally disappeared. Because these declines have occurred at a site that is not affected by human activities, it suggests that factors beyond the boundaries of the station have a negative influence on birds, something that is obviously of conservation concern.
Ceratopipra erythrocephala (Golden-headed manakin)
Pseudopipra pipra (White-crowned manakin)
Chiroxiphia pareola (blue-backed manakin)
PUBLICATIONS FROM THIS RESEARCH
Blake, J. G. 2007. Neotropical forest bird communities: A comparison of species richness and composition at local and regional scales. Condor 109:237-255.
Blake, J. G. 2021. Acoustic monitors and direct observations provide similar but distinct perspectives on bird assemblages in a lowland forest of eastern Ecuador. PeerJ 9:e10565 https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.10565.
Blake, J. G. 2024. Vocal activity of lowland forest birds in eastern Ecuador varies by foraging strata, guild, and species during the first hours of the morning. Journal of Field Ornithology 95(3):12. [online] URL: https://journal.afonet.org/vol95/iss3/art12.
Blake, J. G., and B. A. Loiselle. 2008. Estimates of apparent survival rate for forest birds in eastern Ecuador. Biotropica 40:485-493.
Blake, J. G., and B. A. Loiselle. 2009. Species composition of Neotropical understory bird communities: local versus regional perspectives based on capture data. Biotropica 41:85-94.
Blake, J. G., and B. A. Loiselle. 2012. Temporal and spatial patterns in abundance of the Wedge-billed Woodcreeper (Glyphorynchus spirurus) in lowland Ecuador. Wilson Journal of
Ornithology 124: 436-445.
Blake, J. G., and B. A. Loiselle. 2013. Apparent survival rates of forest birds in eastern Ecuador revisited: Improvement in precision but no change in estimates. PLoS One dx.plos.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0081028.
Blake, J. G., and B. A. Loiselle. 2015. Enigmatic declines in bird numbers in lowland forest of eastern Ecuador may be a consequence of climate change. PeerJ 3:e1177; DOI 10.7717/peerj.1177
Blake, J. G., and B. A. Loiselle. 2016. Long-term changes in composition of bird communities at an “undisturbed” site in eastern Ecuador. Wilson Journal of Ornithology 128:255-267.
Blake, J. G., and B. A. Loiselle. 2024. Sharp declines in observation and capture rates of Amazon birds in absence of human disturbance Global Ecology and Conservation 51: e02902. doi.org/10.1016/j.gecco.2024.e02902
Blendinger, P. G., J. G. Blake, and B. A. Loiselle. 2011. Composition and clumping of seeds deposited by frugivorous birds varies between forest microsites. Oikos 120:463-471.
Blendinger, P. G., J. G. Blake, and B. A. Loiselle. 2011. Connecting fruit production to seedling establishment in two co-occurring Miconia
species: consequences of seed dispersal by birds in upper Amazonia. Oecologia
167:61-73.
Blendinger, P., B. Loiselle, and J. Blake. 2008. Crop size, plant aggregation, and microhabitat type affect fruit removal by birds from individual melastome plants in the Upper Amazon. Oecologia 158:273-283.
Braga, P. L. M., S. H. Borges, C. A. Peres, B. A. Loiselle, J. G. Blake, J. Menger, A. S. Bueno, M. Anciães, F. H. T. de Abreu, M. F. A. Maximiano, A. H. N. Souza, R. L. Boss, and F. B. Baccaro. 2022. Connecting Amazonian historical biogeography and local assemblages of understorey birds: recurrent guild proportionality within areas of endemism. Journal of Biogeography 49: 324-338. DOI: 10.1111/jbi.14301
Cárdenas-Posada, G., C. D. Cadena, J. G. Blake, and B. A. Loiselle. 2018. Display behavior, social organization and vocal repertoire of Blue-backed Manakin (Chiroxiphia pareola
napensis) in northwest Amazonia.
Ibis 160:269-282. doi: 10.1111/ibi.12548
Durães, R., J. G. Blake, B. A. Loiselle, T. B. Ryder, W. P. Tori, and J. R. Hidalgo. 2011. Vocalization activity at leks of six manakin (Pipridae) species in eastern Ecuador. Ornitología Neotropical 22: 437-445.
Durães, R., B. A. Loiselle, and J. G. Blake. 2007. Intersexual spatial relationships in a lekking species: blue-crowned manakins and female hotspots. Behavioral Ecology 18:1029-1039.
Durães, R., B. A. Loiselle, and J. G. Blake. 2008. Spatial and temporal dynamics at manakin leks: reconciling lek traditionality with male turnover. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology 62:1947-1957.
Durães, R., B. A. Loiselle, P. G. Parker, and J. G. Blake. 2009. Female mate choice across spatial scales: influence of lek and mate attributes on mating success of blue-crowned manakins. Proceedings Royal Society B. 276:1875-1881.
Fair, J. M., T. B. Ryder, B. A. Loiselle, J. G. Blake, T. E. Larson, P. Davis, J. Syme, G. B. Perkins, and J. M. Heikoop. 2013. Estimates of dietary overlap for six species of Amazonian manakins using stable isotopes. Isotopes in Environmental and Health Studies 49:420-435.
Fecchio, A., M. Svensson-Coehlo, J. Bell, V. Ellis, M. Medeiros, C. Trisos, J. Blake, B. Loiselle, J. Tobias, R. Fanti, E. Coffey, I. Faria, J. Pinho, G. Felix, E. Braga, M. Anciaes, V. Tkach, J. Bates, C. Witt, J. Weckstein, R. Ricklefs, I. Farias. 2017. Host associations and turnover of haemosporidian parasites in manakins (Aves: Pipridae). Parasitology 144:984-993.
Feng, S., J. Stiller, Y. Deng, J. Armstrong, et al. B. Paten, and G. Zhang. 2020. Dense sampling of bird diversity increases power of comparative genomics. Nature 587:252-257. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-020-2873-9.
Hidalgo, J. R., J. G. Blake, B. A. Loiselle, T. B. Ryder, R. Durães, and W. P. Tori. 2012. Nest site selection by Blue-crowned (Lepidothrix coronata) and Wire-tailed (Pipra filicauda) manakins in lowland Ecuador. Ornitología Neotropical 23:63-71.
Hidalgo, J. R., T. B. Ryder, W. P. Tori, R. Durães, J. G. Blake, and B. A. Loiselle. 2008. Nest architecture of three manakin species in lowland Ecuador. Cotinga 29:57-61.
Holbrook, K. M., and B. A. Loiselle. 2007. Using toucan-generated seed shadows to estimate seed dispersal in Amazonia Ecuador. Pp. 300-321 in A. J. Dennis, E. W. Schupp, R. Green, and D. W. Westcott, eds., Seed Dispersal:
Theory and its Applications in a Changing World. CABI Publishing, Wallingford, Oxfordshire,
UK.
Holbrook, K. M., and B. A. Loiselle. 2009. Dispersal in a neotropical tree, Virola
flexuosa (Myristicaceae): does
hunting of large vertebrates limit seed removal? Ecology 90:1449-1455.
Holbrook, K. M., B. A. Loiselle, and G. Clark. 2007. Eight polymorphic satellite loci for a Neotropical nutmeg, Virola flexuosa (Myristicaceae). Molecular Ecology Notes 7:248-250.
Karubian, J., L. Browne, C. Bosque, T. Carlo, M. Galetti, B. A. Loiselle, J. G. Blake, D. Cabrera, R. Durães, F. M. Labecca, K. M. Holbrook, R. Holland, W. Jetz, F. Kümmeth, J. Olivo, K. Ottewell, G. Papadakis, G. Rivas, S. Steiger, B. Voirin, and M. Wikelski. 2012. Seed dispersal by Neotropical birds: emerging patterns and underlying processes. Ornitologia Neotropical 23:9-24.
Loiselle, B.A., J.G. Blake, R. Durães, T.B. Ryder, and W.P. Tori. 2007. Environmental and spatial segregation of leks among six co-occurring species of manakins (Aves: Pipridae) in eastern Ecuador. Auk 124: 420-431.
Loiselle, B. A., P. Blendinger, J. G. Blake, and T. B. Ryder. 2007. Ecological redundancy in seed dispersal systems: a comparison between manakins (Aves: Pipridae) in two tropical forests. Pp. 178-195 in A. J. Dennis, E. W. Schupp, R. Green, and D.W. Westcott, editors. Seed Dispersal: Theory and its Application in a Changing World. CABI Publishing, Wallingford, UK.
Loiselle, B.A., T.B. Ryder, R. Durães, W.P. Tori, J.G. Blake, and P. G. Parker. 2007. Kin selection does not explain male aggregation at leks of 4 manakin species. Behavioral Ecology 18:287-291.
Ricklefs, R. E., M. Medeiros, V. A. Ellis, M. Svensson-Coelho, J. G. Blake, B. A. Loiselle, L. Soares, A. Fecchio, D. Outlaw, P. Marra, S. C. Latta, G. Valkiūnas, O. Hellgren, and S. Bensch. 2017. Avian migration and the distribution of malaria parasites in New World passerine birds. Journal of Biogeography 44:1113-1123.
Robinson, W. D., D. Errichetti, H. Pollock, A. Martinez, P. C. Stouffer, F.-Y. Shen, and J. G. Blake. 2021. Big Bird Plots: Benchmarking Neotropical bird communities to address questions in ecology and conservation in an era of rapid change. Frontiers Ecology and Evolution 9:697511. doi: 10.3389/fevo.2021.697511
Robinson, W. D., A. C. Lees, and J. G. Blake. 2018. Surveying tropical birds is much harder than you think: a primer of best practices. Biotropica 50:846-849. DOI: 10.1111/btp.12608
Ryder, T.B., J.G. Blake, and B.A. Loiselle. 2006. A test of the environmental hotspot hypothesis for lek placement in three species of manakins. Auk 123: 247-258.
Ryder, T. B., J. G. Blake, P. G. Parker, and B. A. Loiselle. 2011. The composition, stability, and kinship of reproductive coalitions in a lekking bird. Behavioral Ecology 22:292-290.
Ryder, T. B., R. Durães, W. P. Tori, J. R. Hidalgo, B. A. Loiselle, and J. G. Blake. 2008. Modeling nest survival for two species of manakins (Aves: Pipridae) in the Ecuadorian Amazon. Journal of Avian Biology 39:355-358.
Ryder, T. B., D. B. MacDonald, J. G. Blake, P. G. Parker, and B. A. Loiselle. 2008. Social networks in the lek-mating wire-tailed manakin (Pipra filicauda). Proceedings Royal Society B. 275:1367-1374.
Ryder, T. B., P. G. Parker, J. G. Blake, and B. A. Loiselle. 2009. It takes two to tango: reproductive skew and social correlates of male mating success in a lek breeding bird. Proceedings Royal Society B. 276:2377-2384.
Ryder, T., W. Tori, J. Blake, B. Loiselle, and P. Parker. 2010. Mate choice for genetic quality: a test of the heterozygosity and compatibility hypotheses. Behavioral Ecology 21:203-210.
Svensson-Coelho, M., J. G. Blake, B. A. Loiselle, A. S. Penrose, P. G. Parker, and R. E. Ricklefs. 2013. Diversity, prevalence, and host specificity of Plasmodium and Haemoproteus in a western Amazon assemblage. Ornithological
Monographs 76:1-48.
Svensson-Coelho, M., V. A. Ellis, B. A. Loiselle, J. G. Blake, and R. E. Ricklefs. 2014. Reciprocal specialization in multi-host malaria parasite communities of birds: a temperate – tropical comparison. American Naturalist 184:624-635.
Svensson-Coelho, M., B. A. Loiselle, J. G. Blake, and R. E. Ricklefs. 2016. Resource predictability and specialization in avian malaria parasites. Molecular Ecology 25:4377-4391.
Tori, W. P., R. D. Durães, T. B. Ryder, M. Anciães, J. Karubian, R. H. Macedo, A. C. Uy, P. G. Parker, T. B. Smith, A. C. Stein, M. S. Webster, J. G. Blake, and B. A Loiselle. 2008. Advances in sexual selection theory: insights from tropical avifauna. Ornitología Neotropical 19 (Suppl.): 151-163.
Tori, W. P., T. B. Ryder, R. Durães, J. R. Hidalgo, B. A. Loiselle, and J. G. Blake. 2006. Obtaining offspring genetic material: a new method for species with high nest predation rates. Condor 108:948-952.
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