Open AccessBird community energetics in a boreal coniferous forest
Author(s) -
Alatalo Rauno V.
Publication year - 1978
Publication title -
ecography
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.973
H-Index - 128
eISSN - 1600-0587
pISSN - 0906-7590
DOI - 10.1111/j.1600-0587.1978.tb00972.x
Subject(s) - arboreal locomotion , insectivore , energetics , ecology , snag , taiga , invertebrate , biology , environmental science , predation , habitat
The annual minimum energy consumption of the bird community was 2524 × 10 3 kcal km −2 , of which 44% was consumed by wintering species and 73% by passerines. The daily energy consumption was in summer 14–16 × 10 3 and in winter 1–2 × 10 3 kcal km −2 . In spruce forests and in afforested swamps birds required approximately 0.12% of the net primary production. Their total annual energy consumption was covered by invertebrates (59%), vertebrates (2%) and vegetable matter (39%); the food derived from the ground (55%), from trees (44%) and from the air (1%). Arboreal insectivorous passerines, ground passerines and gallinaceous birds were the most important ecological guilds. Among passerines existence metabolism accounted for 73% of the annual energy consumption, extra activity for 17%, breeding activity for 1%, moult for 4% and nestlings for 4%.