Relationship between morphology and trophic ecology in an assemblage of passerine birds in riparian forests of the Paraná River (Argentina)

We describe the ecomorphology of an assemblage of bird species found in riparian forests of the Middle Paraná River, Argentina. We sought to determine (1) the more important morphological characteristics that separate coexisting species, (2) whether such separation was related to the trophic ecology of each species and (3) whether a priori guilds showed morphological similarity. We tested the hypotheses that (a) a species' morphology is related to the trophic ecology of that species and (b) that species of a priori guilds are morphometrically more similar to each other than to species of different a priori guilds. For this, we considered an assemblage of 29 species of birds from riparian forest that were sampled with mist nets during the 2011 and 2014 breeding seasons. We obtained morphometric measurements of captured individuals and supplemented those data with measurements from museum specimens. Trophic characterisation (diet and trophic microhabitat) was based on a literature review. Results showed a separation of bird species as a function of variables related to trophic ecology (diets and trophic microhabitats) and morphology. After controlling for phylogenetic constraint, species' morphology partially reflected the trophic ecology of the species, supporting the central hypothesis of the ecomorphological discipline and showing that the use of trophic and morphometric data provides complementary data to improve the guild organisation of riparian bird assemblages.Fil: Quiroga, Virginia Mariela. Provincia de Entre Ríos. Centro de Investigaciones Científicas y Transferencia de Tecnología a la Producción. Universidad Autónoma de Entre Ríos. Centro de Investigaciones Científicas y Transferencia de Tecnología a la Producción. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Santa Fe. Centro de Investigaciones Científicas y Transferencia de Tecnología a la Producción; ArgentinaFil: Lorenzón, Rodrigo Ezequiel. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Santa Fe. Instituto Nacional de Limnología. Universidad Nacional del Litoral. Instituto Nacional de Limnología; ArgentinaFil: Maglier, Gisela. Universidad Nacional del Litoral; ArgentinaFil: Ronchi Virgolini, Ana Laura. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Universidad Autónoma de Entre Ríos; Argentin

Tropical Ungulates of Argentina

Argentina has an extensive and diverse terrain classified into 11 ecoregions. Seven of these ecoregions, occupying the north and north-central parts of the country, house the 11 tropical ungulate species found here. The ecoregions are lowland and subtropical, some beginning in the tropics, some extending to temperate climates. The principal topographical characteristics, hydrology, climate, vegetation and fauna are described for these seven ecoregions. Each of the 11 species is then treated in detail with respect to its ecology and conservation. Emphasis is placed on distribution, habitat and density, feeding ecology, threats and conservation in Argentina, based on the most recent studies. Data on reproductive biology and behaviour are included where information is relatively recent and unlikely to be covered elsewhere. The species include the following: the Brazilian tapir (Tapirus terrestris), found in northern subtropical ecoregions, three species of peccary (Tayassu pecari, Pecari tajacu and Parachoerus wagneri) from northern subtropical and drier regions, of which the Chacoan peccary (P. wagneri) is endemic while the other two species have more extensive distributions. The guanaco (Lama guanicoe) occurs only in relict populations in the ecoregions considered. The taruca (Hippocamelus antisensis) occupies the eastern boundary between the Yungas and drier, high altitude ecoregions. Three species of brocket deer (Mazama americana, M. gouazoubira and M. nana) occupy the northern tropical, subtropical and Chacoan areas. The marsh deer (Blastocerus dichotomus), the largest South American deer, has small populations occupying wetlands from the northern border to the Parana delta, while the pampas deer (Ozotocerus bezoaticus) is found in four isolated populations from Ibera to Buenos Aires province. Argentina represents the southern limit to the distribution of all these species and thus threats are often magnified. Ongoing conservation activities include the maintenance of protected areas, promotion (difusion, education, sensitization), investigation and the reintroduction of some species of formerly extinct ungulates into the Ibera wetlands area.Fil: Black Decima, Patricia. Universidad Nacional de Tucumán; ArgentinaFil: Camino, Micaela. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Nordeste. Centro de Ecología Aplicada del Litoral. Universidad Nacional del Nordeste. Centro de Ecología Aplicada del Litoral; ArgentinaFil: Cirignoli, Sebastian. Centro de Investigaciones del Bosque Atlántico; ArgentinaFil: de Bustos, Soledad. Fundación Biodiversidad; ArgentinaFil: Matteucci, Silvia Diana. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Arquitectura y Urbanismo. Grupo de Ecología del Paisaje y Medio Ambiente; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Perez Carusi, Lorena Cynthia. Administración de Parques Nacionales; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Varela, Diego Martin. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Nordeste. Instituto de Biología Subtropical. Universidad Nacional de Misiones. Instituto de Biología Subtropical; Argentina. Centro de Investigaciones del Bosque Atlántico; Argentin