Neothraupis Fasciata Research Articles

A comparative phylogenomic analysis of birds reveals heterogeneous differentiation processes among Neotropical savannas.

The main objective of this study was to evaluate biogeographical hypotheses of diversification and connection between isolated savannas north (Amazonian savannas) and south (Cerrado core) of the Amazon River. To achieve this, we used genomic markers (genotyping-by-sequencing) to evaluate the genetic structure, population phylogenetic relationships and historical range shifts of four Neotropical passerines with peri-Atlantic distributions: the narrow-billed woodcreeper (Lepidocolaptes angustirostris), the plain-crested elaenia (Elaenia cristata), the grassland sparrow (Ammodramus humeralis) and the white-banded tanager (Neothraupis fasciata). Population genetic analyses indicated that landscape (e.g., geographic distance, landscape resistance and percentage of tree cover) and climate metrics explained divergence among populations in most species, but without indicating a differential role between current and historical factors. Our results did not fully support the hypothesis that isolated populations in Amazonian savannas have been recently derived from the Cerrado core domain. Intraspecific phylogenies and gene flow analyses supported multiple routes of connection between the Cerrado and Amazonian savannas, rejecting the hypothesis that the Atlantic corridor explains the peri-Atlantic distribution. Our results reveal that the biogeographical history of the region is complex and cannot be explained by simple vicariant models.

Late Pleistocene climatic changes promoted demographic expansion and population reconnection of a Neotropical savanna-adapted bird, Neothraupis fasciata (Aves: Thraupidae).

We performed phylogeographic and genetic structure analyses of Neothraupis fasciata joined with species distribution modelling to evaluate whether: (1) the distribution of genetic variability shows a pattern expected by the isolation-by-distance model; (2) the influence of the Pleistocene climate changes on species distribution; and (3) climate/climatic stability (hypothesis of climatic stability) as a predictor of population genetic diversity. Based on two molecular datasets (ND2 and FIB-5), the isolation-by-distance hypothesis was not supported. The mitochondrial haplotype network indicated the existence of historically isolated populations at the southern range of the species distribution, and recent population expansion was identified by both neutrality tests and extended Bayesian skyline plot analysis. Thus, the climatic changes during the Pleistocene might have promoted the reconnection of the partially isolated southern populations, which may have persisted in the plateaus during the cycles of savanna contractions. Subsequently, this species (re)colonized northern areas of the species present distribution, following the continuous vegetation on the São Francisco and Central plateaus about 60 kyr, and also reached the Amazonian savannas likely via the central corridor. Thus, our results indicated that the intrinsic relationship between the relief heterogeneity (plateaus and depressions) and the climatic fluctuations, mainly in the Pleistocene, promoted population reconnection and demographic expansion of N. fasciata.

A new host for Philornis torquans (Diptera, Muscidae) from the Brazilian Cerrado

Philornis larvae and pupae were collected in nestlings of Neothraupis fasciata (Lichtenstein), the White-banded Tanager (Passeriformes, Thraupidae), in three breeding seasons, between October and November 2003‑2005 in a reserve in central Brazil. Here, we present biological data, diagnosis to the recognition of the species and a key to the segregation of species occurring in the Cerrado. The larvae were intradermic in the nestlings and the pupae were collected in the nests after the birds have abandoned them. The immatures collected were taken to the laboratory and reared under laboratory conditions, until emergence. The species identified as Philornis torquans (Nielsen), is here firstly recorded from the Brazilian Cerrado, and firstly recorded its association with N. fasciata. With this record, the number of Philornis species occurring in the Cerrado rises to three.

Age, but not sex and seasonality, influence Haemosporida prevalence in White-banded Tanagers (Neothraupis fasciata) from central Brazil

Despite many studies on avian blood parasites, we still have a limited understanding of the mechanisms that drive patterns of haemosporidian infection among tropical birds, including effects associated with sex, age, and seasonality. Using molecular and morphological methods for blood-parasite detection, we found that juvenile White-banded Tanagers (Neothraupis fasciata (Lichtenstein, 1823)) had lower haemosporidian prevalence than adults in a population within central Brazil. However, no sex or seasonal differences were detected. Of the 92 White-banded Tanagers analyzed, 67 individuals (72.8% prevalence) were infected with either Haemoproteus or Plasmodium (phylum Sporozoa, class Coccidea, order Haemosporida). Sequencing of a portion of the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene revealed six haemosporidian lineages: two lineages within the genus Haemoproteus and four within the genus Plasmodium. The prevalences of Plasmodium and Haemoproteus parasites were 43.5% and 17.4%, respectively. Our results suggest that this species maintains chronic infections all year round and individuals are able to sustain high parasite pressure.

Brood sex allocation in the neotropical cooperative White-banded Tanager Neothraupis fasciata

Sex allocation in cooperative breeding species may be influenced by the return in fitness that parents receive when producing offspring of each sex, especially if helping behavior is sex-specific. Factors such as the presence of helpers assisting the breeding pair, resource availability, and timing of breeding may also influence brood sex ratio. In this study, we evaluated brood sex allocation in a neotropical cooperative breeding, the White-banded Tanager Neothraupis fasciata, which shows a slightly higher numbers of males, the helping sex, in the adult population. We tested brood sex allocation in relation to the presence of helpers in the groups, nest initiation date, and territory quality. At the population level, we found strictly equal numbers of offspring of both sexes. At the individual level, there was no effect of the ecological, environmental, and temporal variables we tested in the sex allocation of tanagers’ offspring. We suggest that brood sex allocation is unlikely to occur in the study species, and that high levels of nest predation may inhibit the development of sex allocation strategies in neotropical open nesting species, such as White-banded Tanager.

High survival and low fecundity of a neotropical savanna tanager

Demographic factors are fundamental aspects of the population ecology of wild birds. However, they are poorly understood in endemic and threatened birds of the Neotropics. In this study we demonstrate that, as in tropical forest birds, a neotropical bird inhabiting a highly seasonal savanna has high rates of survival and low rates of fecundity. We conducted a 2.5-year mark—resighting study to determine survival, fecundity and population structure for the White-banded Tanager (Neothraupis fasciata) in a 10 547 ha protected area of the Cerrado, central Brazil's savanna. Age-structure appeared to have a stable distribution and sex-ratio was 1.2:1 (male: female). Population and effective population sizes were estimated at 6763 and 3438 birds. Density was estimated at 1.1 individual ha−1 and carrying capacity at 7440 birds. Apparent annual survival rate for adults was 68% and for juveniles 42%. Females bred successfully at 2 years old but males only bred successfully when 3 years old. Average fecundity was estimated at 0.31, being higher for adult females than for subadult females. Our results are more consistent with the pattern of higher survival and lower fecundity observed in tropical birds than the pattern observed in Nearctic birds, even though the Cerrado is a highly seasonal savanna.

Territorial system and adult dispersal in a cooperative-breeding tanager

ABSTRACT Latitudinal differences in territorial behavior are considered to have great influence on differences in life-history strategies of Nearctic and Neotropical birds. Most territorial behavior of tropical birds has particularities that cannot be explained only by theories from studies of birds in temperate regions. We evaluated the territorial system of the cooperative-breeding White-banded Tanager (Neothraupis fasciata) in central Brazil's savanna and present results on stability of territory site occupation, relationship between territory size and group size, and dispersal patterns. Territories (n = 27, mean per season) were monitored for 3 yr in a protected area in the cerrado of central Brazil and were defined by the minimum convex polygon method. Territory size averaged 3.7 ± 0.6 ha, and was defended by all individuals of groups of 2–8 individuals (mean = 3.4 ± 1.2). We recorded 44 dispersal events between territories, and most individuals dispersed distances equal to one territory in length. M...

Helpers at the nest of White-banded Tanager Neothraupis fasciata benefit male breeders but do not increase reproductive success

In cooperatively breeding birds, breeders can adjust their parental care investment without affecting nestling survival probability and save energy to invest in other activities, such as feeding, mating or territory defense. Furthermore, helpers at the nest can improve nestling nutrition and hence the reproductive performance of the breeding pair. We determined the influence of helpers on nestling feeding effort and reproductive success of breeders in the neotropical White-banded Tanager (Neothraupis fasciata). We monitored nests during the breeding seasons of 2006 and 2007 in central Brazil. Males showed a compensatory reduction of their food delivery rate in the presence of helpers, whereas females exhibited the same parental effort regardless of having helpers. Total food delivery rate was higher for nests with helpers, but there was no effect of helpers on reproductive performance of breeders (clutch size, hatching rate, fledgling productivity and reproductive success). Our results indicate that cooperative breeding in the White-banded Tanager appears to be important for males to reduce their parental care effort and, hence, invest in their survival or future reproductive attempts.

Variation in Breeding of the Shrike-like Tanager in Central Brazil

The Shrike-like Tanager (Neothraupis fasciata) is a Cerrado bird considered as near threatened. Its life history is poorly known, especially its reproduction. We monitored reproduction during four breeding seasons (2003-2006) with 120 nests in a protected area in central Brazil. Nesting began at the end of the dry season and start of the rainy season. The incubation (13.0 days) and nestling (11.7 days) periods were shorter than for most neotropical birds, but similar to some other tanagers. Clutch size (2-3 eggs) was similar to most tropical birds. However, clutch size increased and nest initiation date advanced ,30 days in a year of early precipitation compared to 3 other years with regular or late precipitation. The Shrike-like Tanager had breeding flexibility and ability to adapt to changes in temporal precipitation patterns. Received 23 July 2010. Accepted 21 December 2010. Understanding population dynamics is of fun- damental importance in ecology, evolution, and conservation, especially in regions with habitat loss or other anthropogenic degradation. The Shrike-like Tanager (Neothraupis fasciata), the only species in this genus, occurs in the Cerrado (neotropical savanna) and is classified as near threatened (IUCN 2009). It is a generalist forager (Alves 1991) occurring at altitudes from 500 to 1,100 m (Ridgely and Tudor 1994). It constructs a basket-shaped nest ,1 m above ground (Alves and Cavalcanti 1990) and often is a sentinel in mixed species flocks (Alves 1990, Ragusa-Neto 2000). It is monogamous, forms flocks of up to six individuals and is a cooperative breeder (Alves 1990). Clutch size is usually two or three (Alves and Cavalcanti 1990). It is one of the few of the .800 cerrado birds whose breeding has been studied (Marini 1992; Lopes and Marini 2005a;

Population size of threatened and endemic birds of the Cerrado in Estação Ecológica de Itirapina, a fragmented area in the State of São Paulo, Brazil

AbstractThe pressures for land use change have led to an increasing isolation of habitat remnants throughout the world. The goal of this study was to estimate the population size and density of some endemic and threatened species in a nature reserve in the Cerrado biome. One hundred and thirty four point transects were undertaken at the Estação Ecológica de Itirapina (EEI), one of the last natural grassland savannah remnants in São Paulo state, in the south-east of Brazil between September and December 2006 and densities estimated for seven species (four endemic to the Cerrado, one near-endemic and two grassland specialists). Neither species reached the minimum viable population size of 500-5000 individuals. Four species, White-banded Tanager, White-rumped Tanager, Black-throated Saltator and Sharp-tailed Tyrant have populations ranging from 112 to 248 individuals, while the other species have a low population (< 60 individuals). The mean densities of Sharp-tailed Tyrant and Cock-tailed Tyrant in the EEI grassland showed similar values to those observed in larger areas of the Cerrado, which may indicate that the EEI grassland area is well conserved. In spite of the restricted size of the EEI, small areas can maintain some endemic and threatened bird populations, thus contributing to local biodiversity and the ecological processes in the region. The capacity of fragments of Cerrado (~ 2,000 ha) to maintain populations of endemic and threatened bird species is unlikely to be effective in the long term.

Avifauna of the Sipaliwini Savanna (Suriname) with Insights into Its Biogeographic Affinities

Ornithological surveys of the Sipaliwini savanna, an Amazonian savanna enclave along the Suriname—Brazil border, were conducted in July 2006 and June 2007. Of the 148 species recorded, five are new for Suriname: Micropygia schomburgkii, Myiopagis vindicata, Sublegatus modestus, Neopelma pallescens and Neothraupis fasciata. Patterns of species-sharing are compared among the Sipaliwini, other Amazonian savanna enclaves, and the large savanna complexes of the Llanos and Cerrado. In the Sipaliwini, forest birds are a subset of the Guiana Shield avifauna, while openhabitat species are shared predominantly with the Cerrado. Furthermore, the Sipaliwini populations of Falco sparverius and Athene cunicularia are identified as belonging to Cerrado subspecies instead of those occurring in nearby Guyana. The results support the hypothesis that the Sipaliwini and Amapá savannas were once connected to the Cerrado, likely by a coastal corridor.

Isolation and Characterization of Microsatellite Loci for Neothraupis fasciata, (Emberizidae, Passeriformes) with Widely Cross Amplification in Neotropical Passerines

We described the development and characterization of 16 microsatellite loci for the white-banded tanager (Neothraupis fasciata), a Neotropical passerine from Cerrado (Brazilian savanna). Based on 24 N. fasciata from a single population, we detected moderate to high number of alleles per locus (2-18 alelles) with expected heterozygosities ranging from 0.12 to 0.92. The high combined paternity exclusion probability (0.999) and low combined genetic identity (1.72 x 10(-10)) show that the battery of loci is suitable for parentage and population analyses. Some of these markers also showed amplification in 8 species from 4 Neotropical passerine families, indicating the potential of these markers to address similar questions in these species.

Cost-efficient conservation for the white-banded tanager ( Neothraupis fasciata) in the Cerrado, central Brazil

Population viability analyses are widely used to support decisions for the management of single species, but there are few studies that explicitly take into account realistic economic costs. In this study we determine the most cost-efficient conservation management options for the white-banded tanager ( Neothraupis fasciata) in the protected areas of the Cerrado in central Brazil. We use the PVA model VORTEX to simulate the ability of different management options to improve population persistence and then assess the effectiveness of each option given a fixed budget. We discover that the best strategy for improving the viability of white-banded tanager populations is to use fire management and nest protection to increase fecundity. In small reserves and a low budget then fire management alone is the best strategy, but if the budget is larger fire management with nest protection as a mixed strategy is better. In large reserves the best strategy is to do nest protection and with large budgets there is a negligible difference between spending all the money on nest protection versus a mixed strategy. If we had not included financial considerations in our analysis of management options then we would have discarded fire management as an option, even though it can be the best strategy.

The range of the curl‐crested jay: lessons for evaluating bird endemism in the South American Cerrado

ABSTRACTThe South American Cerrado is the largest tropical savanna of the world, and one of the most threatened biomes on the Earth. Levels of bird endemism in this biome are controversial, but the most up‐to‐date study points to 30 endemic species. In this paper, I analysed the recent range shift by one of those species, the curl‐crested jay Cyanocorax cristatellus, comparing it with three other alleged Cerrado endemics (lesser nothura Nothura minor, chestnut‐capped foliage‐gleaner Hylocryptus rectirostris, and grey‐backed tachuri Polystictus superciliaris) and a ‘near‐endemic’ (white‐banded tanager Neothraupis fasciata). The curl‐crested jay expanded its range considerably into south‐eastern Brazil during the last century, colonizing extensive areas formerly covered by the Atlantic forest, which has been almost completely cleared by human activity. I found no evidence of recent range shift for the four other species studied, but demonstrated that the grey‐backed tachuri is not a Cerrado endemic. I found that the vegetation map used by previous authors to classify birds as endemics is imprecise and out‐of‐date, not depicting well the biome limits, resulting in an arbitrary, sometimes erroneous, classification. I suggested the adoption of a more modern and detailed Cerrado map. The necessity of a comprehensive review in the list of Cerrado's endemic birds in light of modern vegetation maps is highlighted.

Vigilance towards raptors by nuclear species in bird mixed flocks in a Brazilian savannah

A nuclear or leader species is the one around which foraging activity is organized. In the campo-cerrado (Brazilian savannah) up to four bird species (Saltator atricollis, Cypsnagra hirundinacea, Mimus saturninus, and Neothraupis fasciata) may function as nuclear or leader species in mixed species flocks. The aim of this study was to assess the features shown by these nuclear species. I quantified parameters of sociality, communication and alertness of nuclear bird species in mixed flocks with different composition. Parameters related to sociality (mean intraspecific group size) and communication (frequency of contact calls) were not correlated with the leadership. On the other hand, the most alert species was in the front of a given mixed flock most of the time. The leader species spent more time in vigilance and gave most alarm calls due to approaching raptors earlier. The results of this study strongly suggest that the alertness of a species is the major character of nuclear bird species in mixed flocks of the campo-cerrado.

Raptors and "campo-cerrado" bird mixed flock LED BY Cypsnagra hirundinacea (Emberizidae:Thraupinae).

Bird mixed flocks including Cypsnagra hirundinacea and Neothraupis fasciata as species with sentinels were studied in "campo-cerrado" in order to investigate the possible relationship between alertness and the mixed flock leadership. This study was conducted from March to September 1996 and mixed flocks were observed on average for 2:30h. The time with sentinels were recorded for C. hirundinacea and N. fasciata. The sentinels of Cypsnagra hirundinacea performed most of the vigilance (time with sentinel was on average 42 +/- 17%, 41 +/- 17% of which by C. hirundinacea, whereas only 1.2% by N. fasciata) and gave all the alarm calls recorded (54% of the encounters with raptors stimulated alarm calls). A relationship was verified between time with sentinel and the rate of encounters with raptor (ANOVA, F = 3.0. P < 0.05). The results of this study are an evidence for the anti-predatory function of mixed flocks, in campo-cerrado, and the alertness as a major feature of a leader species, since C. hirundinacea always led those flocks.

Social System and Helping Behavior in the White-Banded Tanager (Neothraupis fasciata)

Banded Neothraupis fasciata were found in both unispecific groups and mixed-species flocks throughout the year, in cerrado (savanna) near Brasilia, Brazil. Groups with a mean of 3.0 individuals defended permanent territories. Territory size seemed to approach home-range size which was estimated for one group as being 4.3 ha. Some banded nestlings remained with their parents until the onset of the first reproductive season after birth. Pairs were occasionally assisted by helpers, which were either males or females, apparently offspring from prior years. Helpers had multiple roles, such as assisting in feeding nestlings, assisting in territorial defense, and acting as sentinels, which may increase protection against predation.

Shiny Cowbird Parasitism in Central Brazil

Recent human settlement in Brasilia, Central Brazil, has greatly reduced the extent of native cerrado vegetation. This has favored the Shiny Cowbird, Molothrus bonariensis, which is common in farmland and certain urban sites. Between September and December of 1982 to 1984, we observed cowbird nestlings (n) or fledglings (f) attended by adults of Mimus saturninus (n), Thraupis sayaca (n), Thraupis palmarum (n,f), Cypsnagra hirundiacea (f), Hemithraupis guira (f), and Ammodramus humeralis (n). The Fork-tailed Flycatcher, Tyrannus savana, is rarely parasitized (one of 87 nests) in Brasilia, perhaps due to the availability of more suitable hosts. In Argentina, this flycatcher is reported to eject cowbird eggs from the nest; we performed artificial parasitism experiments, which suggest hat in Brasilia it might accept cowbird eggs placed during incubation. A new host, the White-banded Tanager (Neothraupis fasciata) was found. It is heavily parasitized in disturbed sites, but virtually unparasitized in native cerrado. Cowbird pressure on cerrado birds is expected to increase with continued fragmentation of this habitat.