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Del Mar Labrador M, Serrano D, Doña J, Aguilera E, Arroyo JL, Atiénzar F, Barba E, Bermejo A, Blanco G, Borràs A, Calleja JA, Cantó JL, Cortés V, De la Puente J, De Palacio D, Fernández-González S, Figuerola J, Frías Ó, Fuertes-Marcos B, Garamszegi LZ, Gordo Ó, Gurpegui M, Kovács I, Martínez JL, Meléndez L, Mestre A, Møller AP, Monrós JS, Moreno-Opo R, Navarro C, Pap PL, Pérez-Tris J, Piculo R, Ponce C, Proctor HC, Rodríguez R, Sallent Á, Senar JC, Tella JL, Vágási CI, Vögeli M, Jovani R. Host space, not energy or symbiont size, constrains feather mite abundance across passerine bird species. J Anim Ecol 2024; 93:393-405. [PMID: 38100230 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.14032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2023] [Accepted: 11/06/2023] [Indexed: 04/04/2024]
Abstract
Comprehending symbiont abundance among host species is a major ecological endeavour, and the metabolic theory of ecology has been proposed to understand what constrains symbiont populations. We parameterized metabolic theory equations to investigate how bird species' body size and the body size of their feather mites relate to mite abundance according to four potential energy (uropygial gland size) and space constraints (wing area, total length of barbs and number of feather barbs). Predictions were compared with the empirical scaling of feather mite abundance across 106 passerine bird species (26,604 individual birds sampled), using phylogenetic modelling and quantile regression. Feather mite abundance was strongly constrained by host space (number of feather barbs) but not by energy. Moreover, feather mite species' body size was unrelated to the body size of their host species. We discuss the implications of our results for our understanding of the bird-feather mite system and for symbiont abundance in general.
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Affiliation(s)
- María Del Mar Labrador
- Doñana Biological Station (CSIC), Seville, Spain
- SEO-Monticola Ornithological Group, Autonomous University of Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | | | - Jorge Doña
- University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois, USA
- University of Granada, Granada, Spain
| | | | | | | | | | - Ana Bermejo
- SEO-Monticola Ornithological Group, Autonomous University of Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | | | - Antoni Borràs
- Museu de Ciències Naturals de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Juan A Calleja
- SEO-Monticola Ornithological Group, Autonomous University of Madrid, Madrid, Spain
- Autonomous University of Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | | | | | - Javier De la Puente
- SEO-Monticola Ornithological Group, Autonomous University of Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - Diana De Palacio
- SEO-Monticola Ornithological Group, Autonomous University of Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | | | | | | | | | - László Z Garamszegi
- Institute of Ecology and Botany, Centre for Ecological Research, Vácrátót, Hungary
| | - Óscar Gordo
- Doñana Biological Station (CSIC), Seville, Spain
| | - Míriam Gurpegui
- National Institute for Agricultural and Food Research and Technology (CSIC), Madrid, Spain
| | - István Kovács
- 'Milvus Group' Bird and Nature Protection Association, Târgu Mureş, Romania
| | | | - Leandro Meléndez
- Biodiversity Research Institute (Univ. of Oviedo-CSIC-Princ. Asturias), Mieres, Spain
| | | | | | | | - Rubén Moreno-Opo
- SEO-Monticola Ornithological Group, Autonomous University of Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | | | - Péter L Pap
- Babeş-Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca, Romania
- University of Debrecen, Debrecen, Hungary
| | | | | | - Carlos Ponce
- SEO-Monticola Ornithological Group, Autonomous University of Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | | | | | - Ángel Sallent
- Naturalists Association of Southeast (ANSE), Murcia, Spain
| | | | - José L Tella
- Doñana Biological Station (CSIC), Seville, Spain
| | | | | | - Roger Jovani
- Doñana Biological Station (CSIC), Seville, Spain
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Hotopp AM, Olsen BJ, Ishaq SL, Frey SD, Kovach AI, Kinnison MT, Gigliotti FN, Roeder MR, Cammen KM. Plumage microorganism communities of tidal marsh sparrows. iScience 2024; 27:108668. [PMID: 38230264 PMCID: PMC10790016 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2023.108668] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2023] [Revised: 11/02/2023] [Accepted: 12/05/2023] [Indexed: 01/18/2024] Open
Abstract
Microorganism communities can shape host phenotype evolution but are often comprised of thousands of taxa with varied impact on hosts. Identification of taxa influencing host evolution relies on first describing microorganism communities and acquisition routes. Keratinolytic (keratin-degrading) microorganisms are hypothesized to be abundant in saltmarsh sediments and to contribute to plumage evolution in saltmarsh-adapted sparrows. Metabarcoding was used to describe plumage bacterial (16S rRNA) and fungal (ITS) communities in three sparrow species endemic to North America's Atlantic coast saltmarshes. Results describe limited within-species variability and moderate host species-level patterns in microorganism diversity and community composition. A small percentage of overall microorganism diversity was comprised of potentially keratinolytic microorganisms, warranting further functional studies. Distinctions between plumage and saltmarsh sediment bacteria, but not fungal, communities were detected, suggesting multiple bacterial acquisition routes and/or vertebrate host specialization. This research lays groundwork for future testing of causal links between microorganisms and avian host evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alice M. Hotopp
- School of Biology and Ecology, University of Maine, Orono, ME 04469, USA
| | - Brian J. Olsen
- School of Biology and Ecology, University of Maine, Orono, ME 04469, USA
- Maine Center for Genetics in the Environment, University of Maine, Orono, ME 04469, USA
| | - Suzanne L. Ishaq
- School of Food and Agriculture, University of Maine, Orono, ME 04469, USA
| | - Serita D. Frey
- Department of Natural Resources and the Environment, University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH 03824, USA
| | - Adrienne I. Kovach
- Department of Natural Resources and the Environment, University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH 03824, USA
| | - Michael T. Kinnison
- School of Biology and Ecology, University of Maine, Orono, ME 04469, USA
- Maine Center for Genetics in the Environment, University of Maine, Orono, ME 04469, USA
| | - Franco N. Gigliotti
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT 06269, USA
| | | | - Kristina M. Cammen
- School of Marine Sciences, University of Maine, Orono, ME 04469, USA
- Maine Center for Genetics in the Environment, University of Maine, Orono, ME 04469, USA
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Matthews AE, Boves TJ, Percy KL, Schelsky WM, Wijeratne AJ. Population Genomics of Pooled Samples: Unveiling Symbiont Infrapopulation Diversity and Host-Symbiont Coevolution. Life (Basel) 2023; 13:2054. [PMID: 37895435 PMCID: PMC10608719 DOI: 10.3390/life13102054] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2023] [Revised: 09/30/2023] [Accepted: 10/10/2023] [Indexed: 10/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Microscopic symbionts represent crucial links in biological communities. However, they present technical challenges in high-throughput sequencing (HTS) studies due to their small size and minimal high-quality DNA yields, hindering our understanding of host-symbiont coevolution at microevolutionary and macroevolutionary scales. One approach to overcome those barriers is to pool multiple individuals from the same infrapopulation (i.e., individual host) and sequence them together (Pool-Seq), but individual-level information is then compromised. To simultaneously address both issues (i.e., minimal DNA yields and loss of individual-level information), we implemented a strategic Pool-Seq approach to assess variation in sequencing performance and categorize genetic diversity (single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs)) at both the individual-level and infrapopulation-level for microscopic feather mites. To do so, we collected feathers harboring mites (Proctophyllodidae: Amerodectes protonotaria) from four individual Prothonotary Warblers (Parulidae: Protonotaria citrea). From each of the four hosts (i.e., four mite infrapopulations), we conducted whole-genome sequencing on three extraction pools consisting of different numbers of mites (1 mite, 5 mites, and 20 mites). We found that samples containing pools of multiple mites had more sequencing reads map to the feather mite reference genome than did the samples containing only a single mite. Mite infrapopulations were primarily genetically structured by their associated individual hosts (not pool size) and the majority of SNPs were shared by all pools within an infrapopulation. Together, these results suggest that the patterns observed are driven by evolutionary processes occurring at the infrapopulation level and are not technical signals due to pool size. In total, despite the challenges presented by microscopic symbionts in HTS studies, this work highlights the value of both individual-level and infrapopulation-level sequencing toward our understanding of host-symbiont coevolution at multiple evolutionary scales.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alix E. Matthews
- College of Sciences and Mathematics and Molecular Biosciences Program, Arkansas State University, Jonesboro, AR 72401, USA
- Department of Biological Sciences, Arkansas State University, Jonesboro, AR 72401, USA; (T.J.B.); (A.J.W.)
| | - Than J. Boves
- Department of Biological Sciences, Arkansas State University, Jonesboro, AR 72401, USA; (T.J.B.); (A.J.W.)
| | - Katie L. Percy
- Audubon Delta, National Audubon Society, Baton Rouge, LA 70808, USA;
- United States Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service, Addis, LA 70710, USA
| | - Wendy M. Schelsky
- Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Behavior, School of Integrative Biology, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, IL 61801, USA;
- Prairie Research Institute, Illinois Natural History Survey, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, IL 61820, USA
| | - Asela J. Wijeratne
- Department of Biological Sciences, Arkansas State University, Jonesboro, AR 72401, USA; (T.J.B.); (A.J.W.)
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Krumbeck JA, Turner DD, Diesel A, Hoffman AR, Heatley JJ. Skin microbiota of quaker parrots (Myiopsitta monachus) with normal feathering or feather loss via next-generation sequencing technology. J Exot Pet Med 2022. [DOI: 10.1053/j.jepm.2022.04.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
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Del Mar Labrador M, Doña J, Serrano D, Jovani R. Feather mites at night: an exploration of their feeding, reproduction, and spatial ecology. Ecology 2021; 103:e03550. [PMID: 34618909 DOI: 10.1002/ecy.3550] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2021] [Revised: 05/26/2021] [Accepted: 07/07/2021] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Birds host a vast diversity of feather symbionts of different kingdoms, including animals (e.g., lice, mites), fungi, and bacteria. Feather mites (Acariformes: Astigmata: Analgoidea and Pterolichoidea), the most abundant animal ectosymbionts of birds, are permanent inhabitants of the pterosphere (ptero feather in Greek; Labrador et al. 2020), and the ones studied here are easily spotted as small (ca. 0.5mm) dots on the surface of flight feathers. They are highly host specific symbionts (Doña et al. 2017), and they seem to be commensalistic or even mutualists of birds by taking detritus and microorganisms such as fungi and bacteria from feathers, some of which are keratinophilic and thus can damage the feathers (Blanco et al. 1997, Galván et al. 2012, Doña et al. 2018). However, many basic questions remain to be answered, such as the moments and the places where feather mites eat. Indeed, we wondered whether this might be partly because feather mites have been studied mainly during the day, when (most) birds fly, rather than during the night when mites seem to move more freely on the wings, according to two old anecdotal reports (Dubinin 1951, McClure 1989). To investigate the night ecology of feather mites, we initially spent a whole night observing them on two individual birds. At that point, we were unaware of how it would change our understanding of the pterosphere.
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Affiliation(s)
- María Del Mar Labrador
- Department of Evolutionary Ecology. Estación Biológica de Doñana (EBD-CSIC). Avda, Americo Vespucio s/n, 41092, Seville, Spain
| | - Jorge Doña
- Illinois Natural History Survey, Prairie Research Institute, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1816 S. Oak St, Champaign, Illinois, 61820, USA.,Department of Animal Biology, Universidad de Granada, 18001, Granada, Spain
| | - David Serrano
- Department of Conservation Biology. Estación Biológica de Doñana (EBD-CSIC). Avda, Americo Vespucio s/n, 41092, Seville, Spain
| | - Roger Jovani
- Department of Evolutionary Ecology. Estación Biológica de Doñana (EBD-CSIC). Avda, Americo Vespucio s/n, 41092, Seville, Spain
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Johansson NR, Kaasalainen U, Rikkinen J. Woodpeckers can act as dispersal vectors for fungi, plants, and microorganisms. Ecol Evol 2021; 11:7154-7163. [PMID: 34188803 PMCID: PMC8216901 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.7648] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2021] [Revised: 04/11/2021] [Accepted: 04/16/2021] [Indexed: 11/07/2022] Open
Abstract
Bird-mediated dispersal is presumed to be important in the dissemination of many different types of organisms, but concrete evidence remains scarce. This is especially true for biota producing microscopic propagules. Tree-dwelling birds, such as woodpeckers, would seem to represent ideal dispersal vectors for organisms growing on standing tree trunks such as epiphytic lichens and fungi. Here, we utilize bird natural history collections as a novel source of data for studying dispersal ecology of plants, fungi, and microorganisms. We screened freshly preserved specimens of three Finnish woodpecker species for microscopic propagules. Samples were taken from bird feet, and chest and tail feathers. Propagules were extracted using a sonication-centrifugation protocol, and the material obtained was studied using light microscopy. Diverse biological material was recovered from all specimens of all bird species, from all positions sampled. Most abundant categories of discovered biological material included bryophyte fragments, fungal spores, and vegetative propagules of lichens. Also, freshwater diatoms, bryophyte spores, algal cells, testate amebae, rotifers, nematodes, pollen, and insect scales were identified. The method developed here is applicable to living specimens as well, making it a versatile tool for further research. Our findings highlight the potential of bird-mediated dispersal for diverse organisms and showcase the use of natural history collections in ecological research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Niko R. Johansson
- Finnish Museum of Natural HistoryUniversity of HelsinkiHelsinkiFinland
- Organismal and Evolutionary Biology Research ProgrammeFaculty of Biological and Environmental SciencesUniversity of HelsinkiHelsinkiFinland
| | | | - Jouko Rikkinen
- Finnish Museum of Natural HistoryUniversity of HelsinkiHelsinkiFinland
- Organismal and Evolutionary Biology Research ProgrammeFaculty of Biological and Environmental SciencesUniversity of HelsinkiHelsinkiFinland
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