Ecological Archives E087-107-A2

Kailen A. Mooney. 2006. The disruption of an ant–aphid mutualism increases the effects of birds on pine herbivores. Ecology 87:1805–1815.

Appendix B. A description of ponderosa pine bird community and analysis of ant effects on bird foraging.

TABLE B1. Division of total observed bird activity among bird species and foraging groups.

GROUP / Species

Proportion of group

Proportion of total

 

GROUP / Species

Proportion of group

Proportion of total

CANOPY INSECTIVORES

 

 

 

SEED-EATERS

 

 

Broad-tailed Hummingbird

0.001

0.001

 

Chipping Sparrow

0.906

0.072

Brown Creeper

0.007

0.007

 

Steller's Jay

0.031

0.002

Darkeyed Junco

0.010

0.009

 

Vesper's Sparrow

0.063

0.005

Lesser Goldfinch

0.000

0.000

 

Total

1.000

0.079

Mountain Bluebird

0.017

0.015

 

FLYCATCHERS

 

 

Mountain Chickadee

0.483

0.429

 

Flycatcher

0.673

0.009

Plumbeous Vireo

0.003

0.002

 

Olive-sided Flycatcher

0.042

0.001

Pygmy Nuthatch

0.200

0.178

 

Western Woodpewee

0.285

0.004

Red-breasted Nuthatch

0.078

0.070

 

Total

1.000

0.013

Ruby-crowned Kinglet

0.006

0.005

 

WOODPECKERS

 

 

Western Bluebird

0.006

0.005

 

Hairy Woodpecker

0.043

0.001

White-breasted Nuthatch

0.036

0.032

 

Northern Flicker

0.205

0.004

Yellow-rumped Warbler

0.152

0.135

 

Williamson's Sapsucker

0.751

0.014

Total

1.000

0.888

 

Total

1.000

0.019

 


TABLE B2. Division of total observed bird activity among classes of behavior.

BEHAVIORAL CLASS

Proportion of total

Branch foraging

0.479

Perching

0.129

Trunk foraging

0.392

Total

1.000

 

TABLE B3. ANOVA results for effects of ants on bird foraging.

Source

F

P

 

Source

F

P

BIRD GROUP

 

 

 

BEHAVIORAL CLASS

 

 

Insectivores

0.64  

0.44  

 

Trunk foraging

1.03  

0.33  

Flycatchers/Seed eaters

0.29

0.60

 

Branch foraging

0.79

0.39

Woodpeckers

0.60

0.45

 

Resting

0.01

0.91

 

 

 

 

All birds

0.68

0.43

† Degrees of freedom are 1,13 for all tests.

 

 
   FIG. B1. Mean ( + 1 SE) minutes of bird activity per hour of tree observation for foraging groups (IN = canopy insectivore, WP = wood peckers, FL/SE = fly catchers and seed-eaters), behavioral groups (BR = branch foraging, TR = trunk foraging, RE = resting) and all birds combined (ALL) on ant exclusion (white) and control (gray) trees. None of these means differed significantly (P > 0.10, see Table B3 for details).


[Back to E087-107]