Double keystone bird in a keystone species complex
Abstract
Species in a Colorado subalpine ecosystem show subtle interdependences. Red-naped sapsuckers play two distinct keystone roles. They excavate nest cavities in fungus-infected aspens that are required as nest sites by two species of swallows, and they drill sap wells into willows that provide abundant nourishment for themselves, hummingbirds, orange-crowned warblers, chipmunks, and an array of other sap robbers. The swallows thus depend on, and the sap robbers benefit from, a keystone species complex comprised of sapsuckers, willows, aspens, and a heartwood fungus. Disappearance of any element of the complex could cause an unanticipated unraveling of the community.
Local Knowledge Graph (8 entities)
Knowledge graph centered on Double keystone bird in a keystone species complex with 9 nodes and 10 connections. Top connected: P. R. Ehrlich, G. C. Daily, Effects of proximity to riparian zones on avian sp, RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN ASPEN HEARTWOOD ROT AND THE L, N. M. Haddad.
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