Seed chemistry of Sophora chrysophylla (mamane) in relation to diet of specialist avian seed predator Loxiodes bailleui (palila) in Hawaii

Author:

Banko, Paul C., Cipollini, M.L., Breton, G.W., Paulk, E., Wink, M., Izhaki, I.

Title:

Seed chemistry of Sophora chrysophylla (mamane) in relation to diet of specialist avian seed predator Loxiodes bailleui (palila) in Hawaii

Periodical:

Journal of Chemical Ecology

Year:

2002

Volume:

28

Pages:

1393-1410

Subject:

Cydia Palila Loxioides bailleui Mamane Sophora chrysophylla Moths Foraging behavior Endangered species birds Birds food Cydia

Summary:

During much of the year, the U.S. federally listed endangered palila (Loxioides bailleui; Drepanidinae) feeds primarily on developing seeds of mamane (Sophora chrysophylla). Both of these bird and plant species are endemic to the Hawaiian Islands and occur together in the subalpine dry forest of Mauna Kea Volcano on the island of Hawaii. While palila adjust their breeding according to annual variation in the timing and abundance of mamane seeds, the only other species that have been observed eating mamane seeds are larvae of specialist moths (Cydia), upon which both the adult and nestling palila commonly feed as a supplement to mamane. In addition, since the whole seeds of the mamane, and other species of Sophora, have been reported to contain levels of quinolizidine alkaloids (QAs) that are potentially lethal to vertebrates, and since the insects that feed upon alkaloid-containing plants often sequester toxic levels of plant metabolites, the ability of the palila to specialize upon these resources is especially intriguing. As a result, this study describes the chemical ecology of a tritrophic interaction among these species -- the mamane tree, the palila bird, and the moth larvae, and focuses on the questions of why palila forage upon mamane embryos and why they supplement their diet with Cydia larvae.

Label:

Birds - Palila

URL:

http://cletus.uhh.hawaii.edu:2074/10.1023/A:1016248502927

Date:

2002

Collection:

Periodicals