Invasive Parasites and the Fate of Darwin's Finches in the Galapagos Islands: The Case of the Vegetarian Finch (Platyspiza crassirostris)

2017 ◽  
Vol 129 (2) ◽  
pp. 345-349 ◽  
Author(s):  
George E. Heimpel ◽  
Alexandra Hillstrom ◽  
Deborah Freund ◽  
Sarah A. Knutie ◽  
Dale H. Clayton
Keyword(s):  
Galapagos Islands ◽  
Galápagos Islands ◽  
Darwin's Finches ◽  
Darwin’S Finches

scholarly journals Urbanization alters ecological and evolutionary interactions between Darwin’s finches and Tribulus cistoides on the Galápagos Islands

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. Ruth Rivkin ◽  
Reagan A. Johnson ◽  
Jaime A. Chaves ◽  
Marc T.J. Johnson
Keyword(s):  
Species Interactions ◽  
Food Resource ◽  
Galapagos Islands ◽  
Urban Environments ◽  
Ecological Interactions ◽  
Galápagos Islands ◽  
Population Surveys ◽  
Fruit Removal ◽  
Darwin's Finches ◽  
Darwin’S Finches

AbstractEmerging evidence suggests that urbanization shapes the ecology and evolution of species interactions. Islands are particularly susceptible to urbanization due to the fragility of their ecosystems; however, few studies have examined the effects of urbanization on species interactions on islands. To address this gap, we studied the effects of urbanization on interactions between Darwin’s finches and its key food resource, Tribulus cistoides, in three towns on the Galápagos Islands. We assessed the effects of urbanization on seed and mericarp removal, mericarp morphology, and finch community composition using natural population surveys, experimental manipulations, and finch observations. We found that both seed and fruit removal rates were higher in urban compared to non-urban populations in the natural and experimental populations, and that urbanization modified selection on mericarp size and defense. Urban environments supported smaller and less diverse finch communities than non-urban environments. Together, our results suggest that urbanization can dramatically alter ecological interactions between Darwin’s finches and T. cistoides, leading to modified selection on T. cistoides populations. Our study demonstrates that urban development on islands can have profound effects on the ecology and evolution of trophic interactions.

Human activity can influence the gut microbiota of Darwin's finches in the Galapagos Islands

2019 ◽  
Vol 28 (9) ◽  
pp. 2441-2450 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah A. Knutie ◽  
Jaime A. Chaves ◽  
Kiyoko M. Gotanda
Keyword(s):  
Gut Microbiota ◽  
Human Activity ◽  
Galapagos Islands ◽  
Galápagos Islands ◽  
Darwin's Finches ◽  
Darwin’S Finches

The ecology and evolution of seed predation by Darwin's finches on Tribulus cistoides on the Galápagos Islands

2019 ◽  
Vol 90 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sofía Carvajal‐Endara ◽  
Andrew P. Hendry ◽  
Nancy C. Emery ◽  
Corey P. Neu ◽  
Diego Carmona ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Seed Predation ◽  
Galapagos Islands ◽  
Galápagos Islands ◽  
Darwin's Finches ◽  
Darwin’S Finches

scholarly journals Urban living influences the nesting success of Darwin’s finches in the Galápagos Islands

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Johanna A. Harvey ◽  
Kiley Chernicky ◽  
Shelby R. Simons ◽  
Taylor B. Verrett ◽  
Jaime A. Chaves ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Galapagos Islands ◽  
Nesting Success ◽  
Galápagos Islands ◽  
Urban Living ◽  
Darwin's Finches ◽  
Darwin’S Finches

scholarly journals Darwin's finches can have taste preferences, but not for human foods

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Lever ◽  
Louise V. Rush ◽  
Rose Thorogood ◽  
Kiyoko M Gotanda
Keyword(s):  
Galapagos Islands ◽  
Ecological Niches ◽  
Taste Preferences ◽  
Galápagos Islands ◽  
Human Food ◽  
Darwin's Finches ◽  
Darwin’S Finches ◽  
Selection Of

Urbanization is rapidly changing ecological niches. On the Galapagos Islands, Darwin's finches consume human-introduced foods preferentially; however, it remains unclear why. Here we presented pastry with flavour profiles typical of human foods (oily, salty, sweet) to small and medium ground finches to test if latent taste preferences might drive selection of human foods. If human-food flavours were consumed more than a neutral or bitter control at sites with human foods, then we predicted tastes were acquired after experience with human foods; however, if no site-differences were found then this would indicate latent taste preferences. Contrary to both predictions, we found no evidence that human-food flavours were preferred compared to control flavours. Instead, medium ground finches consumed the bitter control pastry most and wiped their beaks more frequently after feeding on oily and sweet pastry (post-ingestion beak wiping can indicate aversions). Small ground finches showed no differences in consumption but wiped their beaks most after feeding on sweet pastry. Our results suggest that unlike many species, medium and small ground finches do not find bitter-tasting food aversive. Furthermore, taste preferences are unlikely to play a major role in Darwin's finches adaptation to the presence of human foods during increased urbanization.

Predation on Seeds of Invasive Lantana camara by Darwin's Finches in the Galapagos Islands

2012 ◽  
Vol 124 (2) ◽  
pp. 338-344 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jorge Carrión-Tacuri ◽  
Regina Berjano ◽  
Giovanny Guerrero ◽  
Enrique Figueroa ◽  
Alan Tye ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Galapagos Islands ◽  
Lantana Camara ◽  
Galápagos Islands ◽  
Darwin's Finches ◽  
Darwin’S Finches
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