Congeneric species have similarities in phenotypic and ecological traits. The sympatry of conge-neric species constitutes an opportunity for studies on coexistence. Two bird species of Mimidae, the native Tropical mockingbird, Mimus gilvus Oberholser, 1919, and the restinga invader Chalk-browed mockingbird, Mimus saturninus (Lichtenstein, 1823), currently occur in sympatry across the sandy-coastal ecosystem (restinga) of Espírito Santo state, Southeastern Brazil. We studied the spatial distribution of Tropical mockingbird and Chalk-browed mockingbird to understand the degree of competition across a preserved and urban gradient. We sampled 1,451 sampling units across a preserved and urban landscape in a coastal area of southeastern Brazil. The best-fitting model for abundance (Punctual Abundance Index) included urbanization index, distance from the coast, and distance from the closest protected area, which explained 63% and 97% of the abundance of Tropical mockingbird and Chalk-browed mockingbird, respectively. The species exhibited a segregated spatial pattern at small scale, indicating that both species are avoiding one another. Chalk-browed mockingbird showed ecological plasticity in modified environments, whereas Tropical mockingbird was more sensitive to urbanization. We suggested that the coexistence of these species is associated with resource partitioning. Mon-itoring Tropical mockingbird populations may be a proxy for the assessment of habitat quality and restoration success in the highly threatened restinga ecosystem.
CITATION STYLE
Araujo-Lima, V., Ferreira, R. B., Oliveira, R. D. S., Ferreira-Santos, K., Garbin, M. L., & Duca, C. (2023). Spatial segregation between the native Tropical mockingbird and the invader Chalk-browed mockingbird (Passeriformes: Mimidae) along a Neotropical natural-urban gradient. Zoologia, 40. https://doi.org/10.1590/S1984-4689.V40.E22061
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