EXPLORANDO LA RELACIÓN ENTRE REGISTROS DE COLIBRÍES Y ABUNDANCIA DE FLORES CON ESCALAMIENTO ESPACIO-TEMPORAL

Exploring the relationship between hummingbird records and flower abundance with spatio-temporal scaling. Hummingbirds are obligated to ingest floral nectar to cover their energetic needs. Theoretically, an area with higher flower availability will have more hummingbird activity than an area with lower flower availability. Using a natural experimental approach in a dry landscape of central Mexico, we assessed the relationship between the activity of White-eared Hummingbirds (Hylocharis leucotis) and the floral abundance of Castilleja tenuiflora and Bouvardia ternifolia at different spatio-temporal scales. Wedetected a positive significant relationship at low (0.25, 0.5 and 1 ha) but not in high levels (2 and 4 ha) of the spatial scale. However, we found that the relationship was higher at the peak than at the end of the flowering period. This pattern could be related to the contrast (difference in flower availability between similar areas but not to aggregation (distribution of the flower source). The application of the spatio-temporal scaling approach can help understanding the patterns of plant-hummingbird relationships.