Effect of larvae infestation on fruit choice of Byrsonima intermedia (A. Juss.) by birds

Frugivorous birds consume fruits during foraging to obtain energy for maintaining their activities. Larvae infested fruits may increase energy intake by birds, mainly because of higher protein concentration, since they complement their diet with alternative food resources. In order to assess preference of birds for larvae infested fruits of Byrsonima intermedia (A. Juss) we conducted a study using six individuals of this species. Ten branches were marked for each individual and the number of infested and non-infested fruits was counted. In the following morning, fruits were counted again. Mean fruit consumption did not vary according to infestation (F1,118 = 0.009, p = 0.924). We recorded the consumption of 129 fruits, 60 were infested and 69 were non-infested. Such pattern may be explained if insects that lay their eggs on B. intermedia fruits do not change palatability, nutrition or levels of secondary compounds. Futhermore, synchronous frutification among different individuals may increase fruit avaliability, which would compensate for the low protein content of non-infested fruits. B. intermedia fruits are naturally high quality food resources, so larvae presence may not drastically change protein reward.