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Spatial and Temporal Patterns of Frugivorous Hornbill Movements in Central Africa and their Implications for Rain Forest Conservation
Author(s) -
Chasar Anthony,
Harrigan Ryan J.,
Holbrook Kimberly M.,
Dietsch Thomas V.,
Fuller Trevon L.,
Wikelski Martin,
Smith Thomas B.
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
biotropica
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.813
H-Index - 96
eISSN - 1744-7429
pISSN - 0006-3606
DOI - 10.1111/btp.12160
Subject(s) - frugivore , ecology , geography , habitat , home range , habitat fragmentation , biology , range (aeronautics) , fragmentation (computing) , rainforest , agroforestry , materials science , composite material
Tropical forest conservation and restoration require an understanding of the movements and habitat preferences of important seed dispersers. With forests now being altered at an unprecedented rate, avian frugivores are becoming increasingly vital for forest regeneration. Seed movement, however, is highly dependent on the behavioral characteristics of their dispersers. Here, we examined the movements, habitat preferences, and range sizes of two African frugivores: the Black‐casqued ( C eratogymna atrata ) and the White‐thighed ( B ycanistes albotibialis ) Hornbill , in the lowland rain forests of southern Cameroon. Using satellite transmitters, we tracked eight hornbills for 3 yr to characterize their movements and relate them to environmental landscape features. Hornbill movements differed significantly, with B. albotibialis ranging over larger areas (mean = 20,274 ha) than C. atrata (mean = 5604 ha), and females of both species covering over 15 times the area of males. Evidence suggests that movements are irruptive during particular periods, perhaps driven by low resource availability. In addition, hornbills often returned to the same localities within a year, although movements were not characterized as migratory. Both species displayed significant differences in habitat preference, with B. albotibialis utilizing disturbed habitat more frequently than C . atrata ( t = −22.04, P = 2.2 × 10 −16 ). Major roads were found to act as barriers for C. atrata , but not for B. albotibialis . The ability of both hornbill species to move large distances suggests hornbills will play a vital role in the maintenance and regeneration of rain forests in Central Africa as forest fragmentation increases and terrestrial vertebrates decline in numbers.