Title
Abundance and endemism in the Cauca Guan (Penelope perspicax): Ecology or history?
Author(s)
Rios, MM; Londono, GA; Munoz, MC; Kattan, G
Published
2008
Publisher
Ornitología Neotropical
Abstract
In general, species with restricted distributions tolerate a narrow range of conditions and tend to have low densities. The Cauca Guan (Penelope perspicax) is a cracid endemic from Colombia. Between October 2002 and September 2003 we conducted monthly surveys in the Santuario de Fauna y Flora Otun Quimbaya (SFFOQ). Here we present the habitat use by the Cauca Guan, its density in the central Andes of Colombia, and we discuss historical and ecological hypothesis about its restricted distribution. The Cauca Guan used all habitats present in the study site. However their use varied throughout the year. Forest, the largest area, was the most frequently habitat used (62%). In contrast, the exotic ash plantation (Fraxinus chinensis) was used 27.5% of the time, although this only encompasses less than 5% of the available area. We estimate 31 ind/km(2) inside the forest and 88 ind/km(2) in the ash plantation; however, density varied throughout the year. Guans were mainly congregated inside the forest during high fruit avail-ability, while they were mainly inside the ash plantation during the lowest fruit availability which overlaps with production peaks of young ash leaves. The Cauca Guan is generalist of habitat, diet and nest placement. These generalist behaviors and high density do not agree with previous ideas that autoecological mechanisms maintain or create restricted distribution. In this case, other factors such as historical or other ecological mechanisms (e.g., competition with other Penelopinae species) are proposed to explain the restricted distribution of the Cauca Guan.
Keywords
FOREST FRAGMENTATION; RANGE SIZE; PATTERNS; ANDES; BIRDS; PLANTATIONS; DENSITY; DIET
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PUB10573