White-crowned manakin (dixiphia pipra) use of space in the ecuadorian amazon

Abstract

Animal patterns of space use have fundamental consequences for ecological processes such as animalmediated seed dispersal. This study examines the use of space of an understory frugivore: the White-crowned Manakin (Dixiphia pipra) during the non-breeding season at Tiputini Biodiversity Station in Ecuador. We radio-tracked seven individuals of different sexes and ages. We found that White-crowned Manakins have relatively small home ranges varying from 1.19 to 5.73 ha. The home ranges of male juveniles (2.25 ± 0.62 SE) were larger than that of the adult males (1.20 ± 0.01 SE), but smaller than those of females (4.27 ± 0.77 SE). Females and second-year males were found to perform more long distance flights outside their core home range than hatch-year or adult males. These movement differences suggest that they disperse seeds longer distances and more evenly across their home range. Adult and hatch-year males appear to perform more short distance seed dispersal events. We argue that these contributions are complementary, and that White-crowned Manakins are key dispersal agents that have a significantly influence in the structure and composition of understory plant communities in the Amazon rainforest.