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<H1>The Daily Barometer: Researchers Study Effects Of Forest Fragmentation On
Hummingbird Behavior</H1>
<P class=date>The Daily Barometer | Nov. 06, 2013 2:36 a.m. | Updated: Nov. 06,
2013 10:55 a.m. </P><!-- Share Bar Plugin DIV Container --></HEADER>
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<H2>Contributed By:</H2>
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<P>Dacotah-Victoria Splichalova</P></DIV></DIV></DIV><!-- ARTICLE --><ARTICLE class=grid_6 sizset="26" sizcache012067002737799104="64">
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<P>Hummingbirds flitting through the fragmented forests of Costa Rica have
caught the attention of Oregon State University researchers.</P>
<P>Matthew Betts and Adam Hadley of the Betts Laboratory and the College of
Forestry are both landscape ecologists whose research has primarily revolved
around birds.</P>
<P>Betts and Hadley investigate the effects of habitat loss and fragmentation of
species across 37 distinct isolated patches of forest in Costa Rica, seeking an
understanding of how forest fragmentation affects pollination services.</P>
<P>Hummingbirds take on the role of “the pollinator,” wherein there exists a
careful plant and pollinator interaction. The major goal of the group’s research
is to examine how landscape changes are affecting the hummingbirds
as pollinators.</P>
<P>The research involves a translocation study to see what the difference was
between hummingbird’s journey across forests that were either fragmented
or not.</P>
<P>“Interestingly, we discovered that the hummingbirds arrived at their
pollination sites in the exact same amount of time, which is kind of amazing,”
said Sarah Frey-Hadley, a doctoral researcher and logistical coordinator of the
hummingbird research within the Betts lab.</P>
<P>The research team found that when the hummingbirds were traveling within the
fragmented forests, the birds elected to take a considerably squigglier route to
arrive at their final destination in order to avoid crossing large open gaps of
forest patches.</P>
<P>“It shows that forest fragmentation does indeed alter the hummingbirds’
movement patterns,” Frey-Hadley said.</P>
<P>The Betts team also will collect the stiles (female part of the plant) of the
heliconia flower, a bright red inflorescence that the hummingbird is highly
attracted to for its beauty, nectar and shape.</P>
<P>Hadley discovered that overall seed sets (the number of seeds produced by
flowers) were lower in the smaller, more fragmented forest patches than in
non-fragmented patches.</P>
<P>The data implies that there’s some limitation occurring.</P>
<P>Hadley hypothesized that it’s potentially the quality of the pollen that’s
being brought to the smaller forest patches by the hummingbirds, and perhaps the
hummingbirds may not be visiting as many plants, fostering less-diverse pollen
for the flowers — due to the fact that the hummingbirds do not want to cross the
largely exposed patches of forest.</P>
<P>Partnering with the Organization for Tropical Studies and Las Cruzas
Biological Station in Costa Rica, Hadley began carrying out field research on
the hummingbird project with the Betts Lab in 2008 at the start of
his Ph.D.</P>
<P>At that time, the group proved to be successful pioneers in placing the very
first VHF radio transmitters on the hummingbirds to monitor their pollination
routes in Costa Rica.</P>
<P>“No one even knew it worked at the time,” Hadley said. “We needed a large
pollinator for the size of the transmitter. We couldn’t just place a transmitter
on a tiny little bee … and from this collected data, we could then investigate a
lot of the pollination concerns, which relates to systems here, like the
pollination activity of bumblebees.”</P>
<P>Data from the radio transmitters has provided the group with the ability to
track the actual movements of the hummingbirds, whereas with most pollinators,
until recently, researchers had not been able to track
movement patterns.</P>
<P>“The information we’ve collected informs on a lot of the processes, which are
important over larger areas, like the forest and agricultural systems we have
here, locally,” Hadley said.</P>
<P>In addition to radio transmitters, Betts research team member Evan Jackson, a
doctoral candidate, has recently implemented the use of RFID tags or “PIT” tags
on the hummingbirds.</P>
<P>The tags are about the size of a grain of rice. It’s the same technology that
people use with pet microchips. Jackson investigates what kind of habitats the
hummingbirds will or won’t use.</P>
<P>The Betts research team facilitates an educational outreach project with 11
local Corvallis schools.</P>
<P>“The conservation of natural habitats is important to be made aware (of),”
Hadley said. “When habitats are altered or disturbed, we see the affect it has
on the hummingbirds, but also on the plants that they are responsible
for pollinating.”</P>
<P>Dacotah-Victoria Splichalova</P>
<P>Science reporter</P>
<P>managing@dailybarometer.com</P>
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<DIV><FONT lang=0 face=Arial size=2 FAMILY="SANSSERIF" PTSIZE="10">Laurie Davies
Adams<BR>Executive Director<BR>Pollinator Partnership<BR>4</FONT><FONT lang=0 face=Arial color=#000000 size=2 FAMILY="SANSSERIF" PTSIZE="10">23 Washington St.
5th Fl.<BR>San Francisco, CA 94111<BR>T: 415.362.1137<BR>F: 415.362.0176<BR><IMG SRC="cid:X.MA1.1383833189@aol.com" height=173 width=319 border=0 DATASIZE="27063" ID="MA1.1383833189" ></FONT><FONT lang=0 face=Arial color=#000000 size=2 FAMILY="SANSSERIF" PTSIZE="10"><BR>Follow up on <A href="http://twitter.com/#!/Pollinators">Twitter</A> and <A href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Pollinator-Partnership/48680445464">Facebook</A>!</FONT></DIV></FONT></BODY></HTML>