Date: March 21, 2018
Source: Faculty of Science - University of Copenhagen
Hummingbirds' specialization and
vulnerability are often predicted based on their physical traits. Scientists
now found that this is not the case for hummingbirds on the Caribbean islands.
Instead, the bird's environment is the determining factor. The new study was
led by scientists from Center for Macroecology, Evolution and Climate,
University of Copenhagen, and published today in the scientific
journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B.
Hummingbird's body size and bill
length are often used to predict how specialized and vulnerable the birds are
to extinction of the flowers they feed on. However, a new study shows that
vulnerability and specialisation of Caribbean hummingbirds are determined by
their environment. The study is published in Proceedings of the Royal
Society B. Associate Professor Bo Dalsgaard from Center for Macroecology,
Evolution and Climate explains,
"Our study shows that
Caribbean hummingbirds living in rainy mountainous landscapes with cooler
temperatures are more specialized and vulnerable to extinction of the flowers
they drink nectar from, compared to hummingbirds in the lowlands."
Bo Dalsgaard elaborates on the
findings, ." .. we believe our results display a general trend that
applies to many other animals and plants throughout the world. Thus, protecting
nature in mountain regions is very important, if we want to conserve specialized
and vulnerable species, which exist in just one or a few places on earth."
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