Is bigger always better? Neither body size nor aggressive behavior are good predictors to measure the degree of specialization of hummingbird interaction networks in rocky outcrops

Abstract

Interspecific competition can strongly influence community structure and shape niche breadth and overlap. One of the main factors that determine the hummingbird community structure is competition for food. Hummingbirds functional attributes, such as beak length and body mass, influence nectar acquisition in the flowers, shaping foraging niches according to hummingbird dominance and foraging strategy. This study evaluates how the hummingbirds’ functional and behavioral attributes are related to plants assemblage in rocky outcrops’ habitats. We tested the following hypothesis: H1) Functional traits (beak length and body mass) are related to the richness and frequency of pollen grain morphotypes carried by hummingbirds; H2) Dominant and territorial hummingbirds carry a lower richness and frequency of pollen types when compared to subordinate hummingbirds, and H3) Hummingbird species carry different types of pollen grains. We conducted the study between September 2018 and March 2019 in a Campo Rupestre (rocky outcrops) in Southeastern Brazil. Hummingbirds were captured with a trap built based on trapdoors. We recorded their beak size and body masses, marked with commercial bird rings and ink on parts of the body, and then released. Behavioral responses to artificial feeders were collected regarding each visit’s time and duration and the outcome of aggressive interactions. The pollen adhered to the body parts was collected and identified in the laboratory. Our results showed that neither body size nor aggressive behaviors influenced pollen richness and frequency in rocky outcrops. Beak length was the most important hummingbirds’ attribute that influenced pollen richness, but not pollen frequency. Short-billed hummingbirds carried the greatest richness of pollen grains. Pollen grain richness and frequency were not related to hummingbird body mass or aggressive behavior. The hummingbird-pollen grain interaction network has shown to be generalized in the pollen grain transport. We conclude that hummingbirds’ beak length is the central morphological variable to measure pollen grain transport. It has direct implications for the pollination of different plant species.