Trophic Interactions in Tropical Agroforests
A Black-headed Trogan in Belize.
Another topic that I'm interested in is the interaction between predators and prey in tropical working landscapes. Every year, our migrant birds travel thousands of miles to the Caribbean, Central and South American to over winter in completely different habitats. Despite years of research, we know next to nothing about their diets and how food availability affects seasonal population dynamics. In addition, acres of tropical forest are being cut down at an alarming rate, and land is rapidly being developed into agriculture.
Shade coffee represents an interesting and valuable compromise between farmers and conservationists. A canopy of trees in an agrosystem can provide protection for coffee, shade for workers, and habitat for tropical wildlife. Certification programs like Smithsonian Bird-friendly Coffee and Rainforest Alliance have shade abundance and diversity requirements but agro-systems are often very different from each other in structure and species assemblages.
I'm currently working with researchers from the Smithsonain Migratory Bird Center and University of Delaware to study shade coffee agrosystems in Nicaragua, Colombia and Peru in order to understand how tree variation impacts overwintering neotropical birds. We are particularly interested in whether insectivores prefer to forage in certain trees over others, whether these trees support more arthropod prey, and whether attracting certain species of birds increases pest control for farmers.
Shade coffee represents an interesting and valuable compromise between farmers and conservationists. A canopy of trees in an agrosystem can provide protection for coffee, shade for workers, and habitat for tropical wildlife. Certification programs like Smithsonian Bird-friendly Coffee and Rainforest Alliance have shade abundance and diversity requirements but agro-systems are often very different from each other in structure and species assemblages.
I'm currently working with researchers from the Smithsonain Migratory Bird Center and University of Delaware to study shade coffee agrosystems in Nicaragua, Colombia and Peru in order to understand how tree variation impacts overwintering neotropical birds. We are particularly interested in whether insectivores prefer to forage in certain trees over others, whether these trees support more arthropod prey, and whether attracting certain species of birds increases pest control for farmers.
An infographic of our latest coffee paper in Biotropica(Click to enlarge)
Publications:
1. Narango, D.L. Tallamy, D.W., Snyder, K.J.* and Rice, R.A. (2019) Canopy tree preference by insectivorous birds in shade coffee: implications for migratory bird conservation. Biotropica, 51(3):387-398. (pdf)
In Progress:
2. Narango, D. L., Brandao, M.*, Tallamy, D.W., Rice, R.A. Foraging niches of Yellow Warblers differs with sex and age in a rustic shade-coffee farm. Revision in review, Journal of Field Ornithology.
Funded by: Disney Worldwide Conservation Fund
1. Narango, D.L. Tallamy, D.W., Snyder, K.J.* and Rice, R.A. (2019) Canopy tree preference by insectivorous birds in shade coffee: implications for migratory bird conservation. Biotropica, 51(3):387-398. (pdf)
In Progress:
2. Narango, D. L., Brandao, M.*, Tallamy, D.W., Rice, R.A. Foraging niches of Yellow Warblers differs with sex and age in a rustic shade-coffee farm. Revision in review, Journal of Field Ornithology.
Funded by: Disney Worldwide Conservation Fund
A high-elevation shaded coffee farm in Nicaragua
