COMMUNITY ASSEMBLY PATTERNS OF PARIDS ALONG AN ELEVATIONAL GRADIENT IN WESTERN CHINA

Eight species of parids commonly occur in the mountains of northern Sichuan Province, People's Republic of China. They represent four monophyletic groups regarded by some authorities as genera, but more traditionally as subgenera of the large genus Parus. To test the competition-based hypothesi...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The Wilson bulletin (Wilson Ornithological Society) 2001-03, Vol.113 (1), p.53-64
Main Authors: MCCALLUM, D. ARCHIBALD, GILL, FRANK B, GAUNT, SANDRA L. L
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animal and plant ecology
Animal, plant and microbial ecology
Biological and medical sciences
Biological taxonomies
Birds
breeding season
China
cluster analysis
CONTENTS
data collection
Datasets
Ecological competition
Ecological genetics
Ecology
flocks
Foraging
Functional groups
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
habitats
monophyly
morphometry
mountains
Parus
Species
spring
Synecology
Terrestrial ecosystems
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Summary:Eight species of parids commonly occur in the mountains of northern Sichuan Province, People's Republic of China. They represent four monophyletic groups regarded by some authorities as genera, but more traditionally as subgenera of the large genus Parus. To test the competition-based hypothesis that less closely related species are more likely to co-occur, we used specimens and observations obtained in October 1989 and May 1991 to delineate the morphology, elevational range, and habitat associations of each species in this rich assemblage. A morphometric cluster analysis did not support the assumption that phylogenetic similarity predicts morphological and hence ecological similarity. Up to five species commonly co-occurred in mixed flocks, as in Europe (where five subgenera are represented), but a randomization test showed that community assembly was random with respect to subgenus. On the other hand, for the entire data set (P = 0.05) and during spring (P = 0.07), species in the same morphometric cluster were less likely to co-occur than were species with dissimilar morphology. It appears, therefore, that competition between species of similar morphology may play (or have played) some role in structuring assemblages of parids during the breeding season in this area. For this reason, more detailed studies of the parid assemblage in this area are recommended.
ISSN:0043-5643
2162-5204
DOI:10.1676/0043-5643(2001)113[0053:CAPOPA]2.0.CO;2