Life in the tropics: dispersal, reproduction, and survival in tropical birds

Tarwater, Corey

Publication

Life in the tropics: dispersal, reproduction, and survival in tropical birds

Tarwater, Corey

Description

Tropical species are predicted to be more vulnerable to environmental changes than many temperate zone species. The majority of future bird extinctions are predicted to be in the tropics owing to continued land-use change and climate change. Nevertheless, we still know very little about the basic natural history of many of these species, how changes in the environment impact them, and what makes them vulnerable to changing conditions. I will discuss how I am starting to get at some of these gaps using long-term data of tropical birds in Panama. In particular, I will discuss the influence of changing rainfall on the demography (survival, population growth) of a suite of tropical birds using a 33-year data set. I will also present a detailed case history of one bird species and discuss how the environment influences parental care, survival, and dispersal. Long-term studies that examine both patterns and processes are critical for predicting how species will respond to future conditions.