Abstract
This note reports a trophic interaction of a passerine consuming lichens. On the islet of Daphne Major (Galápagos Archipelago), we made five observations of the Large Ground-Finch Geospiza magnirostris eating the fruticose lichen Roccella gracilis. This is an example of how island birds broaden their feeding niche in resource-poor environments.
Publisher
Neotropical Ornithological Society
Subject
Animal Science and Zoology,Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics
Reference17 articles.
1. Akbulut, G & A Yildiz (2010) An overview to lichens: The nutrient composition of some species. Kafkas Üniversitesi Fen Bilimleri Enstitüsü Dergisi 3: 79–86.
2. Balza, U, NA Lois, MJ Polito, K Pütz, A Salom & Raya Rey A (2020) The dynamic trophic niche of an island bird of prey. Ecology and Evolution 10: 12264–12276. https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.6856
3. Boch, S, D Prati, S Werth, J Rüetschi & M Fischer (2011) Lichen endozoochory by snails. Plos One 6: e18770. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0018770
4. Boch, S, M Fischer & D Prati (2015) To eat or not to eat - relationship of lichen herbivory by snails with secondary compounds and field frequency of lichens. Journal of Plant Ecology 8: 642–650. https://doi.org/10.1093/jpe/rtv005
5. Grant, PR & BR Grant (2014) 40 years of evolution: Darwin’s finches on Daphne Major Island. Princeton University Press, USA.