International Journal of Molecular Evolution and Biodiversity 2016, Vol.6, No.3, 1-8
1
Research Article Open Access
Patterns of Sunbird (Family: Nectariniidae) Visitation to Four Sympatric Plant
Species in Kibale National Park, Uganda
Desta H.T.
1,
, Dzakpasu P.N.
2
, Lyonga N.M.
3
1 Addis Ababa University, P.O. Box 1176 Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
2 Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Ghana
3 Tropical Plant Exploration Group (TroPEG), P.O. Box 18 Mundemba, Cameroon
Corresponding author email
International Journal of Molecular Evolution and Biodiversity, 2016, Vol.6, No.3 doi
Received: 23 Jul., 2016
Accepted: 27 Jul., 2016
Published: 03 Nov., 2016
Copyright
© 2016 Desta et al., This is an open access article published under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits
unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Preferred citation for this article
:
Desta H.T., Dzakpasu P.N., and Lyonga N.M., 2016, Patterns of Sunbird (Family: Nectariniidae) Visitation to Four Sympatric Plant Species in Kibale
National Park, Uganda, International Journal of Molecular Evolution and Biodiversity, 6(3): 1-8 (doi
Abstract
This study was conducted in Kibale National Park in July 2014. It was to investigate patterns of sunbird (Family:
Nectariniidae) visitation to four sympatric plant species. We observed four plant species (
Spathodea campanulata
,
Lilium
sp.,
Callistemon citrinus
and
Erythrina
sp.) which were selected based on a preliminary observation, that all plant species were visited by
sunbirds with some variation in visitation dependent on the time of day. Eight species of sunbirds were identified as active visitors of
the four sympatric plant species and evidence for partitioning of visitation to these plants were observed.
Erythrina
and
Callistemon
were the most visited (seven out of the eight sunbird species visited). Olive-bellied sunbird visited all our focal plants. Territorial
behaviour was observed for Green-headed sunbird, which led to an observation and/or conclusion that less competitive sunbirds like
the Olive-bellied sunbirds were propelled to switch feeding preference.
Keywords
Ornithophilous
flowers; Kibale; Resources partitioning; Sunbirds; Pollination; Sympatric species
Introduction
Pollination is primarily an animal-mediated phenomenon (Waser and Ollerton, 2006, cited in Wilmer, 2011). It is
ecologically important as it is an essential component of reproduction through seeds for majority of plant species
(Knight et al., 2005). Pollinators provide an essential ecosystem service that result in the outcrossing and sexual
reproduction of many plants (Kudom and Kwapong, 2010). Wilmer (2011) reports, “many kinds of pollinators
have been recorded for flowering plants including ants, bats, bees, beetles, birds, butterflies, and moths” (Wilmer,
2011).
Sunbirds are recognized as a very active pollinators of plants with bird-pollinated flowers (Wolf et al., 1975).
Interestingly, flowers pollinated by birds (usually described as Ornithophilous flowers) are usually easily
distinguished by a set of characteristics. These bird-pollinated flowers are mostly brightly coloured with the
primary colour being red; making them attractive to birds and having a positive impact on the number of visitation
towards these plants (Laubhann and Puff, 2002). Since birds are large, warm-blooded and require more energy
compared to insects; therefore, plants with bird-pollinated flowers are often larger and tend to produce more
nectar and often produce larger flowers to accommodate their avian visitors. However, there are bird-pollinated
flowing plants like
Lobelia cardinalis
which secret no nectar; rather
attract humming birds by mimicking more
abundant, nectar producing flowing plants (Brown and Brown, 1979).
Sunbirds (Nectariniidae) are small birds with long, curved beaks. There are many species of sunbirds and they are
one of the two major groups of pollinating (flower-visiting) birds in Africa. Constantly on the move, they feed on
nectar and insects and can hover around briefly, (Fanshawe and Stevenson, 2002: cited in Wilmer, 2011).
Flowers differ in their morphology in several ways (tube-like structures to narrow tubes, spiral shapes, funnel-like,
brush-like, amongst others). According to (Vogel, 1954, cited in Wilmer, 2011), colour and floral structure,
including nectar production are some of the main factors determining the type of bird visitor that patronizes a
