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Alves Soares T, Caspers BA, Loos HM. Volatile organic compounds in preen oil and feathers - a review. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2024; 99:1085-1099. [PMID: 38303487 DOI: 10.1111/brv.13059] [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: 08/19/2022] [Revised: 01/18/2024] [Accepted: 01/22/2024] [Indexed: 02/03/2024]
Abstract
For a long time birds were assumed to be anosmic or at best microsmatic, with olfaction a poorly understood and seldom investigated part of avian physiology. The full viability of avian olfaction was first discovered through its functions in navigation and foraging. Subsequently, researchers have investigated the role of olfaction in different social and non-social contexts, including reproduction, kin recognition, predator avoidance, navigation and foraging. In parallel to the recognition of the importance of olfaction for avian social behaviour, there have been advances in the techniques and methods available for the sampling and analysis of trace volatiles and odourants, leading to insights into the chemistry underlying chemical communication in birds. This review provides (i) an overview of the current state of knowledge regarding the volatile chemical composition of preen oil and feathers, its phylogenetic coverage, chemical signatures and their potential functions, and (ii) a discussion of current methods used for the isolation and detection of volatiles. Finally, lines for future research are proposed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tatjana Alves Soares
- Chair of Aroma and Smell Research, Department of Chemistry and Pharmacy, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), Henkestraße 9, Erlangen, 91054, Germany
| | - Barbara A Caspers
- Department of Behavioural Ecology, Bielefeld University, Konsequenz 45, Bielefeld, 33615, Germany
- Joint Institute for Individualisation in a Changing Environment (JICE), University of Münster and Bielefeld University, Bielefeld, Germany
| | - Helene M Loos
- Chair of Aroma and Smell Research, Department of Chemistry and Pharmacy, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), Henkestraße 9, Erlangen, 91054, Germany
- Fraunhofer Institute for Process Engineering and Packaging IVV, Giggenhauser Straße 35, Freising, 85354, Germany
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2
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Mahr K, Nowack L, Knauer F, Hoi H. Songbirds use scent cues to relocate to feeding sites after displacement: An experiment in great tits (Parus major). Front Ecol Evol 2022. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2022.858981] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Air-borne chemicals are highly abundant sensory cues and their use in navigation might be one of the major evolutionary mechanisms explaining the development of olfaction in animals. Despite solid evidence for the importance of olfaction in avian life (e.g., foraging or mating), the importance of chemical cues in avian orientation remains controversial. In particular, songbirds are sorely neglected models, despite their remarkable orientation skills. Here we show that great tits (Parus major) require olfactory cues to orientate toward winter-feeding sites within their home range after displacement. Birds that received an olfaction-depriving treatment were impaired in homing. However, the return rates between olfaction-deprived and control individuals did not differ. Birds with decreased perception of olfactory cues required more time to return to the winter feeding sites. This effect became apparent when the distance between the releasing and capture sites was greater. Our results indicate that even in a familiar environment with possible visual landmarks, scent cues might serve as an important source of information for orientation.
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3
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Saavedra I, Tomás G, Amo L. Assessing behavioral sex differences to chemical cues of predation risk while provisioning nestlings in a hole-nesting bird. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0268678. [PMID: 35588122 PMCID: PMC9119470 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0268678] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2021] [Accepted: 05/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Birds can assess nest predation risk and adjust their parental activity accordingly. Risk taking behavior should be related to investment in reproduction as well as to confidence in parenthood that often differ between sexes. In those cases, sexual differences in risk taking behavior may be expected. For example, in blue tits, females invest more time and energy than males in nest-building, egg laying and incubation. Furthermore, confidence in parenthood is supposed to be higher for females, as extrapair paternity is common in this species. Therefore, the reproductive value of nestlings may be higher for females than for males and the former may assume greater risks to ensure nestling growth and maximize their reproductive success. We examined potential sexual differences in the risk assumed by parents in relation to perceived risk of predation inside the nest cavity, where predation risk perception may be higher. We increased perceived predation risk by adding predator chemical cues inside blue tit (Cyanistes caeruleus) nest-boxes, and we tested whether female and male parents differed in the risk assumed when taking care of nestlings. Females and males did not differ in the risk assumed in response to perceived predation risk. However, females reduced time devoted to nest sanitation activities when predator chemical cues were detected inside the nest-box, likely as an anti-predatory strategy to minimize their own risk of predation. Therefore, these results add to the evidence that birds can detect chemical cues of predators inside the nest cavity and suggest that the behavioral response to an increase in risk of predation perceived through olfactory cues is not sex-dependent in blue tit.
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Affiliation(s)
- Irene Saavedra
- Departamento de Ecología Evolutiva, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (CSIC), Madrid, Spain
- * E-mail:
| | - Gustavo Tomás
- Departamento de Ecología Funcional y Evolutiva, Estación Experimental de Zonas Áridas (EEZA-CSIC), Carretera de Sacramento, Almería, Spain
| | - Luisa Amo
- Departamento de Ecología Evolutiva, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (CSIC), Madrid, Spain
- Departamento de Ecología Evolutiva, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, Madrid, Spain
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4
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Graham JL, Charlier TD, Bonadonna F, Caro SP. Olfactory detection of trace amounts of plant volatiles is correlated with testosterone in a passerine bird. Horm Behav 2021; 136:105045. [PMID: 34537486 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2021.105045] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2021] [Revised: 07/09/2021] [Accepted: 08/11/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
In response to damage by insects, plants release herbivore-induced plant volatiles (HIPVs) into the air. Insectivorous birds exploit these cues and, consequently, reduce the damages inflicted to the plants. However, little is known about whether they solely use HIPVs as foraging cues, or if they also use them to modulate traits linked to reproduction. As caterpillars are the primary food source required for insectivorous birds to raise offspring, their ability to locate and predict future peaks in caterpillar biomass using olfaction is likely to be advantageous. Therefore, we tested whether an insectivorous songbird that naturally inhabits oak dominated forests can be trained to detect early spring infestation by hatchling caterpillars, at a time when oaks begin bursting, and birds prepare to breed. Tree buds were either infested with caterpillars or left as a control and visually obscured in a Y-Maze choice test. Additionally, we measured testosterone and 17β-estradiol as they influence olfactory perception in mammals and are linked to reproduction in vertebrates. After being trained to associate the presence of HIPVs with that of food, blue tits spent more time with, were more active around, and more frequently chose to first visit the infested trees, showing that blue tits can smell caterpillar activity. Males with higher testosterone spent more time around infested trees, suggesting that foraging behavior during the pre-breeding season is linked with a major reproductive signal. There was no relationship between foraging and estradiol in females. These results are an important foundation for further investigation of the role of hormones in avian olfaction and how smell may be useful for making breeding decisions that could improve reproductive success.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Thierry D Charlier
- Univ Rennes, Inserm, EHESP, Irset (Institut de Recherche en Santé, Environnement et Travail), UMR_S 1085, F-35000 Rennes, France.
| | | | - Samuel P Caro
- CEFE, Univ Montpellier, CNRS, EPHE, IRD, Montpellier, France.
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Slagsvold T, Wiebe KL. Nest decoration: birds exploit a fear of feathers to guard their nest from usurpation. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2021; 8:211579. [PMID: 34804584 PMCID: PMC8596015 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.211579] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2021] [Accepted: 10/15/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Many species of birds incorporate feathers into their nest as structural support and to insulate the eggs or offspring. Here, we investigated the novel idea that birds reduce the risk of nest usurpation by decorating it with feathers to trigger a fear response in their rivals. We let prospecting birds choose between a dyad of nest-boxes in the wild, both containing some nest materials, but where one had a few white feathers and the other had none. All three species of cavity-nesting birds studied, the pied flycatcher Ficedula hypoleuca, the blue tit Cyanistes caeruleus, and the tree swallow Tachycineta bicolor, hesitated to enter boxes with white feathers. A similar avoidance of white feathers was found when the alternative nest-box of a dyad held black feathers. However, the birds readily collected white feathers that we placed in front of their nest-box, showing the fear of such feathers was context-dependent. We suggest that naive prospecting birds may perceive feathers in nests as the result of a predation event, and that owners decorate nests with bright feathers that can be seen from the opening to deter others from entering.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tore Slagsvold
- Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis (CEES), Department of Biosciences, University of Oslo, Oslo 0316, Norway
| | - Karen L. Wiebe
- Department of Biology, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Canada
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6
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Amo L, Saavedra I. Attraction to Smelly Food in Birds: Insectivorous Birds Discriminate between the Pheromones of Their Prey and Those of Non-Prey Insects. BIOLOGY 2021; 10:1010. [PMID: 34681109 PMCID: PMC8533543 DOI: 10.3390/biology10101010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2021] [Revised: 09/28/2021] [Accepted: 10/04/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Natural selection has favored the evolution of different capabilities that allow animals to obtain food-e.g., the development of senses for improving prey/food detection. Among these senses, chemical sense is possibly the most ancient mechanism used by organisms for environmental assessment. Comparative studies suggest the prime role of foraging ecology in the evolution of the olfactory apparatus of vertebrates, including birds. Here, we review empirical studies that have shown birds' abilities to detect prey/food via olfaction and report the results of a study aiming to analyze the specificity of eavesdropping on prey pheromones in insectivorous birds. In a field study, we placed artificial larvae and a dispenser with one of three treatments-prey (Operopthera brumata) pheromones, non-prey (Rhynchophorus ferrugineus) pheromones, or a control unscented dispenser-on the branches of Pyrenean oak trees (Quercus pyrenaica). We then measured the predation rate of birds on artificial larvae. Our results show that more trees had larvae with signs of avian predation when they contained a prey pheromone dispenser than when they contained a non-prey pheromone dispenser or an unscented dispenser. Our results indicate that insectivorous birds can discriminate between the pheromones emitted by their prey and those emitted by non-prey insects and that they only exhibit attraction to prey pheromones. These results highlight the potential use of insectivorous birds in the biological control of insect pests.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luisa Amo
- Departamento de Ecología Evolutiva, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (MNCN-CSIC), C/José Gutiérrez Abascal, 2, E-28006 Madrid, Spain;
- Area of Biodiversity and Conservation, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, c/Tulipán s/n., E-28933 Madrid, Spain
| | - Irene Saavedra
- Departamento de Ecología Evolutiva, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (MNCN-CSIC), C/José Gutiérrez Abascal, 2, E-28006 Madrid, Spain;
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7
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What is that smell? Hummingbirds avoid foraging on resources with defensive insect compounds. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-021-03067-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
Hummingbirds utilize visual cues to locate flowers, but little is known about the role olfaction plays in nectar foraging despite observations that hummingbirds avoid resources occupied by certain insects. We investigated the behavioral responses of both wild and captive hummingbirds to olfactory cues of hymenopteran floral visitors, including native wood ants (Formica francoeuri), invasive Argentine ants (Linepithema humile), and European honeybees (Apis mellifera). We demonstrate for the first time that hummingbirds use olfaction to make foraging decisions when presented with insect-derived chemical cues under field and aviary conditions. Both wild and captive hummingbirds avoided foraging on feeders with defensive chemicals of F. francoeuri and aggregation pheromones of L. humile, but showed no response to honeybee cuticular hydrocarbons. Our experiments demonstrate the importance of olfaction in shaping hummingbird foraging decisions.
Significance statement
Recent reviews reveal that avian olfaction is not just limited to vultures and a few taxa. We demonstrate that a very charismatic group, hummingbirds, avoid defensive and aggregatory chemical cues from insects present at nectar resources. Olfactory cues can provide critical information about the presence and potential threat of insect floral visitors. This study raises new questions about the underrated importance of olfaction in avian foraging and specifically, hummingbird foraging.
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8
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Díaz-Siefer P, Tapia-Gatica J, Martínez-Harms J, Bergmann J, Celis-Diez JL. A larval aggregation pheromone as foraging cue for insectivorous birds. Biol Lett 2021; 17:20210360. [PMID: 34582735 PMCID: PMC8478522 DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2021.0360] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2021] [Accepted: 09/07/2021] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Although birds have traditionally been considered anosmic, increasing evidence indicates that olfaction plays an important role in the foraging behaviours of insectivorous birds. Recent studies have shown that birds can exploit herbivore-induced plant volatiles and sexual pheromones of adult insects to locate their prey. Many insectivorous birds prey on immature insects, providing relevant ecosystem services as pest regulators in natural and agricultural ecosystems. We asked whether birds could rely on chemical cues emitted by the immature stages of insects to prey on them. To address this question, we performed field experiments to evaluate if insectivorous birds can detect the aggregation pheromone produced by the larvae of the carpenter worm, Chilecomadia valdiviana. Groups of five artificial larvae were placed in branches of 72 adult trees in a remnant fragment of a sclerophyllous forest in central Chile. Each grouping of larvae contained a rubber septum loaded with either larval pheromone as treatment or solvent alone as control. We found that the number of larvae damaged by bird pecks was significantly higher in groups with dispensers containing the larval extract than in control groups. Our results show that birds can rely on immature insect-derived chemical cues used for larvae aggregation to prey on them.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pablo Díaz-Siefer
- Centro Regional de Investigación e Innovación para la Sostenibilidad de la Agricultura y los Territorios Rurales, CERES, Quillota, Chile
- Escuela de Agronomía, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso, Quillota, Chile
| | - Jaime Tapia-Gatica
- Escuela de Agronomía, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso, Quillota, Chile
| | | | - Jan Bergmann
- Instituto de Química, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso, Valparaíso, Chile
| | - Juan L. Celis-Diez
- Escuela de Agronomía, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso, Quillota, Chile
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9
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Odor preferences in hybrid chickadees: implications for reproductive isolation and asymmetric introgression. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-021-03069-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
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10
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Smell of green leaf volatiles attracts white storks to freshly cut meadows. Sci Rep 2021; 11:12912. [PMID: 34145327 PMCID: PMC8213700 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-92073-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2021] [Accepted: 06/01/2021] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Finding food is perhaps the most important task for all animals. Birds often show up unexpectedly at novel food sources such as freshly tilled fields or mown meadows. Here we test whether wild European white storks primarily use visual, social, auditory or olfactory information to find freshly cut farm pastures where insects and rodents abound. Aerial observations of an entire local stork population documented that birds could not have become aware of a mown field through auditory, visual or social information. Only birds within a 75° downwind cone over 0.4–16.6 km approached any mown field. Placing freshly cut grass from elsewhere on selected unmown fields elicited similarly immediate stork approaches. Furthermore, uncut fields that were sprayed with a green leaf volatile organic compound mix ((Z)-3-hexenal, (Z)-3-hexenol, hexenyl acetate), the smell of freshly cut grass, immediately attracted storks. The use of long-distance olfactory information for finding food may be common in birds, contrary to current perception.
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11
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Mazorra-Alonso M, Tomás G, Soler JJ. Microbially Mediated Chemical Ecology of Animals: A Review of Its Role in Conspecific Communication, Parasitism and Predation. BIOLOGY 2021; 10:274. [PMID: 33801728 PMCID: PMC8065758 DOI: 10.3390/biology10040274] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2021] [Revised: 03/20/2021] [Accepted: 03/24/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Microbial symbionts are nowadays considered of pivotal importance for animal life. Among the many processes where microorganisms are involved, an emerging research avenue focuses on their major role in driving the evolution of chemical communication in their hosts. Volatiles of bacterial origin may underlie chemical communication and the transfer of social information through signals, as well as inadvertent social information. We reviewed the role of microorganisms in animal communication between conspecifics, and, because the microbiome may cause beneficial as well as deleterious effects on their animal hosts, we also reviewed its role in determining the outcome of the interactions with parasites and predators. Finally, we paid special attention to the hypothetical role of predation and parasitism in driving the evolution of the animal microbiome. We highlighted the novelty of the theoretical framework derived from considering the microbiota of animals in scenarios of communication, parasitism, and predation. We aimed to encourage research in these areas, suggesting key predictions that need to be tested to better understand what is one of the main roles of bacteria in animal biology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mónica Mazorra-Alonso
- Departamento de Ecología Funcional y Evolutiva, Estación Experimental de Zonas Áridas, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, 04120 Almería, Spain
| | - Gustavo Tomás
- Departamento de Ecología Funcional y Evolutiva, Estación Experimental de Zonas Áridas, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, 04120 Almería, Spain
- Unidad Asociada (Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas): Coevolución: Cucos, Hospedadores y Bacterias Simbiontes, Universidad de Granada, 18071 Granada, Spain
| | - Juan José Soler
- Departamento de Ecología Funcional y Evolutiva, Estación Experimental de Zonas Áridas, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, 04120 Almería, Spain
- Unidad Asociada (Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas): Coevolución: Cucos, Hospedadores y Bacterias Simbiontes, Universidad de Granada, 18071 Granada, Spain
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12
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Edwards MC, Ford C, Hoy JM, FitzGibbon S, Murray PJ. How to train your wildlife: A review of predator avoidance training. Appl Anim Behav Sci 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.applanim.2020.105170] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
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13
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Mäntylä E, Kipper S, Hilker M. Insectivorous birds can see and smell systemically herbivore-induced pines. Ecol Evol 2020; 10:9358-9370. [PMID: 32953066 PMCID: PMC7487227 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.6622] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2020] [Revised: 06/25/2020] [Accepted: 07/08/2020] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Several studies have shown that insectivorous birds are attracted to herbivore-damaged trees even when they cannot see or smell the actual herbivores or their feces. However, it often remained an open question whether birds are attracted by herbivore-induced changes in leaf odor or in leaf light reflectance or by both types of changes. Our study addressed this question by investigating the response of great tits (Parus major) and blue tits (Cyanistes caeruleus) to Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) damaged by pine sawfly larvae (Diprion pini). We released the birds individually to a study booth, where they were simultaneously offered a systemically herbivore-induced and a noninfested control pine branch. In the first experiment, the birds could see the branches, but could not smell them, because each branch was kept inside a transparent, airtight cylinder. In the second experiment, the birds could smell the branches, but could not see them, because each branch was placed inside a nontransparent cylinder with a mesh lid. The results show that the birds were more attracted to the herbivore-induced branch in both experiments. Hence, either type of the tested cues, the herbivore-induced visual plant cue alone as well as the olfactory cues per se, is attractive to the birds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elina Mäntylä
- Applied Zoology/Animal EcologyInstitute of BiologyFreie Universität BerlinBerlinGermany
- Institute of EntomologyBiology Centre of the Czech Academy of SciencesČeské BudĕjoviceCzech Republic
- Faculty of ScienceUniversity of South BohemiaČeské BudĕjoviceCzech Republic
- Section of EcologyDepartment of BiologyUniversity of TurkuTurkuFinland
| | - Silke Kipper
- Animal BehaviourInstitute of BiologyFreie Universität BerlinBerlinGermany
- Technische Universität MünchenFreisingGermany
| | - Monika Hilker
- Applied Zoology/Animal EcologyInstitute of BiologyFreie Universität BerlinBerlinGermany
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14
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Individual Chemical Profiles in the Leach's Storm-Petrel. J Chem Ecol 2020; 46:845-864. [PMID: 32856136 DOI: 10.1007/s10886-020-01207-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2020] [Revised: 07/06/2020] [Accepted: 07/30/2020] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
Avian chemical communication, once largely overlooked, is a growing field that has revealed the important role that olfaction plays in the social lives of some birds. Leach's storm-petrels (Oceanodroma leucorhoa) have a remarkable sense of smell and a strong, musky scent. This long-lived, monogamous seabird relies on olfaction for nest relocation and foraging, but whether they use scent for communication is less well studied. They are nocturnally active at the breeding colony and yet successfully reunite with their mate despite poor night-vision, indicating an important role for non-visual communication. We investigated the chemical profiles of Leach's storm-petrels to determine whether there is socially relevant information encoded in their plumage odor. To capture the compounds comprising their strong scent, we developed a method to study the compounds present in the air surrounding their feathers using headspace stir bar sorptive extraction coupled with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. We collected feathers from Leach's storm-petrels breeding on Bon Portage Island in Nova Scotia, Canada in both 2015 and 2016. Our method detected 142 commonly occurring compounds. We found interannual differences in chemical profiles between the two sampling years. Males and females had similar chemical profiles, while individuals had distinct chemical signatures across the two years. These findings suggest that the scent of the Leach's storm-petrel provides sociochemical information that could facilitate olfactory recognition of individuals and may inform mate choice decisions.
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15
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Griebel IA, Dawson RD. Nestling tree swallows (
Tachycineta bicolor
) alter begging behaviour in response to odour of familiar adults, but not their nests. Ethology 2020. [DOI: 10.1111/eth.13015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Ilsa A. Griebel
- Ecosystem Science and Management Program University of Northern British Columbia Prince George BC Canada
| | - Russell D. Dawson
- Ecosystem Science and Management Program University of Northern British Columbia Prince George BC Canada
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16
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Grieves LA, Bernards MA, MacDougall-Shackleton EA. Behavioural responses of songbirds to preen oil odour cues of sex and species. Anim Behav 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2019.06.035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
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17
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Avian and rodent responses to the olfactory landscape in a Mediterranean cavity community. Oecologia 2019; 191:73-81. [DOI: 10.1007/s00442-019-04487-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2019] [Accepted: 08/08/2019] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
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18
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Van Huynh A, Rice AM. Conspecific olfactory preferences and interspecific divergence in odor cues in a chickadee hybrid zone. Ecol Evol 2019; 9:9671-9683. [PMID: 31534684 PMCID: PMC6745874 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.5497] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2019] [Revised: 06/11/2019] [Accepted: 07/06/2019] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Understanding how mating cues promote reproductive isolation upon secondary contact is important in describing the speciation process in animals. Divergent chemical cues have been shown to act in reproductive isolation across many animal taxa. However, such cues have been overlooked in avian speciation, particularly in passerines, in favor of more traditional signals such as song and plumage. Here, we aim to test the potential for odor to act as a mate choice cue, and therefore contribute to premating reproductive isolation between the black-capped (Poecile atricapillus) and Carolina chickadee (P. carolinensis) in eastern Pennsylvania hybrid zone populations. Using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, we document significant species differences in uropygial gland oil chemistry, especially in the ratio of ester to nonester compounds. We also show significant preferences for conspecific over heterospecific odor cues in wild chickadees using a Y-maze design. Our results suggest that odor may be an overlooked but important mating cue in these chickadees, potentially promoting premating reproductive isolation. We further discuss several promising avenues for future research in songbird olfactory communication and speciation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alex Van Huynh
- Department of Biological SciencesLehigh UniversityBethlehemPAUSA
| | - Amber M. Rice
- Department of Biological SciencesLehigh UniversityBethlehemPAUSA
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Doyle JM, Willoughby JR, Bell DA, Bloom PH, Bragin EA, Fernandez NB, Katzner TE, Leonard K, DeWoody JA. Elevated Heterozygosity in Adults Relative to Juveniles Provides Evidence of Viability Selection on Eagles and Falcons. J Hered 2019; 110:696-706. [DOI: 10.1093/jhered/esz048] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2019] [Accepted: 08/01/2019] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
AbstractViability selection yields adult populations that are more genetically variable than those of juveniles, producing a positive correlation between heterozygosity and survival. Viability selection could be the result of decreased heterozygosity across many loci in inbred individuals and a subsequent decrease in survivorship resulting from the expression of the deleterious alleles. Alternatively, locus-specific differences in genetic variability between adults and juveniles may be driven by forms of balancing selection, including heterozygote advantage, frequency-dependent selection, or selection across temporal and spatial scales. We use a pooled-sequencing approach to compare genome-wide and locus-specific genetic variability between 74 golden eagle (Aquila chrysaetos), 62 imperial eagle (Aquila heliaca), and 69 prairie falcon (Falco mexicanus) juveniles and adults. Although genome-wide genetic variability is comparable between juvenile and adult golden eagles and prairie falcons, imperial eagle adults are significantly more heterozygous than juveniles. This evidence of viability selection may stem from a relatively smaller imperial eagle effective population size and potentially greater genetic load. We additionally identify ~2000 single-nucleotide polymorphisms across the 3 species with extreme differences in heterozygosity between juveniles and adults. Many of these markers are associated with genes implicated in immune function or olfaction. These loci represent potential targets for studies of how heterozygote advantage, frequency-dependent selection, and selection over spatial and temporal scales influence survivorship in avian species. Overall, our genome-wide data extend previous studies that used allozyme or microsatellite markers and indicate that viability selection may be a more common evolutionary phenomenon than often appreciated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jacqueline M Doyle
- Department of Biological Sciences, Towson University, Baltimore, MD
- Department of Forestry and Natural Resources, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN
| | - Janna R Willoughby
- School of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences, Auburn University, Auburn, Alabama
- Department of Biological Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN
| | - Douglas A Bell
- Department of Biological Sciences, Towson University, Baltimore, MD
- East Bay Regional Park District, Oakland, CA
- Department of Ornithology and Mammalogy, California Academy of Sciences, San Francisco, CA
| | - Peter H Bloom
- Department of Biological Sciences, Towson University, Baltimore, MD
- Bloom Research Inc., Los Angeles, CA
| | - Evgeny A Bragin
- Department of Biological Sciences, Towson University, Baltimore, MD
- Faculty of Natural Science, Kostanay State Pedagogical University, Kostanay, Kazakhstan
- The Peregrine Fund, Boise, ID
- Science Department, Naurzum National Nature Reserve, Kostanay Oblast, Naurzumski Raijon, Karamendy, Kazakhstan
| | - Nadia B Fernandez
- Department of Biological Sciences, Towson University, Baltimore, MD
- Department of Forestry and Natural Resources, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN
- Department of Environmental Conservation, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, MA
| | - Todd E Katzner
- Department of Biological Sciences, Towson University, Baltimore, MD
- US Geological Survey, Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center, Boise, ID
| | - Kolbe Leonard
- Department of Biological Sciences, Towson University, Baltimore, MD
- Department of Computer and Information Sciences, Towson University, Baltimore, MD
| | - J Andrew DeWoody
- Department of Biological Sciences, Towson University, Baltimore, MD
- Department of Forestry and Natural Resources, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN
- Department of Biological Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN
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20
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Saavedra I, Amo L. Egg concealment is an antipredatory strategy in a cavity‐nesting bird. Ethology 2019. [DOI: 10.1111/eth.12932] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Irene Saavedra
- Departamento de Ecología Evolutiva Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (CSIC) Madrid Spain
| | - Luisa Amo
- Departamento de Ecología Evolutiva Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (CSIC) Madrid Spain
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21
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Friedrich SR, Lovell PV, Kaser TM, Mello CV. Exploring the molecular basis of neuronal excitability in a vocal learner. BMC Genomics 2019; 20:629. [PMID: 31375088 PMCID: PMC6679542 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-019-5871-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2019] [Accepted: 05/31/2019] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Vocal learning, the ability to learn to produce vocalizations through imitation, relies on specialized brain circuitry known in songbirds as the song system. While the connectivity and various physiological properties of this system have been characterized, the molecular genetic basis of neuronal excitability in song nuclei remains understudied. We have focused our efforts on examining voltage-gated ion channels to gain insight into electrophysiological and functional features of vocal nuclei. A previous investigation of potassium channel genes in zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata) revealed evolutionary modifications unique to songbirds, as well as transcriptional specializations in the song system [Lovell PV, Carleton JB, Mello CV. BMC Genomics 14:470 2013]. Here, we expand this approach to sodium, calcium, and chloride channels along with their modulatory subunits using comparative genomics and gene expression analysis encompassing microarrays and in situ hybridization. RESULTS We found 23 sodium, 38 calcium, and 33 chloride channel genes (HGNC-based classification) in the zebra finch genome, several of which were previously unannotated. We determined 15 genes are missing relative to mammals, including several genes (CLCAs, BEST2) linked to olfactory transduction. The majority of sodium and calcium but few chloride channels showed differential expression in the song system, among them SCN8A and CACNA1E in the direct motor pathway, and CACNG4 and RYR2 in the anterior forebrain pathway. In several cases, we noted a seemingly coordinated pattern across multiple nuclei (SCN1B, SCN3B, SCN4B, CACNB4) or sparse expression (SCN1A, CACNG5, CACNA1B). CONCLUSION The gene families examined are highly conserved between avian and mammalian lineages. Several cases of differential expression likely support high-frequency and burst firing in specific song nuclei, whereas cases of sparse patterns of expression may contribute to the unique electrophysiological signatures of distinct cell populations. These observations lay the groundwork for manipulations to determine how ion channels contribute to the neuronal excitability properties of vocal learning systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samantha R. Friedrich
- Department of Behavioral Neuroscience, Oregon Health and Science University, 3181 Sam Jackson Park Rd L470, Portland, OR USA
| | - Peter V. Lovell
- Department of Behavioral Neuroscience, Oregon Health and Science University, 3181 Sam Jackson Park Rd L470, Portland, OR USA
| | - Taylor M. Kaser
- Department of Behavioral Neuroscience, Oregon Health and Science University, 3181 Sam Jackson Park Rd L470, Portland, OR USA
| | - Claudio V. Mello
- Department of Behavioral Neuroscience, Oregon Health and Science University, 3181 Sam Jackson Park Rd L470, Portland, OR USA
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22
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Cyriac VP, Kodandaramaiah U. Don’t waste your time: predators avoid prey with conspicuous colors that signal long handling time. Evol Ecol 2019. [DOI: 10.1007/s10682-019-09998-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
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23
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Stelbrink P, Grendelmeier A, Schabo D, Arlettaz R, Hillig F, Pasinelli G. Does acoustically simulated predation risk affect settlement and reproduction of a migratory passerine? Ethology 2019. [DOI: 10.1111/eth.12879] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Pablo Stelbrink
- Conservation Ecology, Faculty of Biology Philipps‐University of Marburg Marburg Germany
- BIOPLAN Marburg‐Höxter GbR Marburg Germany
| | | | - Dana Schabo
- Conservation Ecology, Faculty of Biology Philipps‐University of Marburg Marburg Germany
| | - Raphaël Arlettaz
- Division of Conservation Biology, Institute of Ecology and Evolution University of Bern Bern Switzerland
| | | | - Gilberto Pasinelli
- Swiss Ornithological Institute Sempach Switzerland
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Sciences University of Zurich Zürich Switzerland
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24
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Age-dependent effects of predation risk on night-time hypothermia in two wintering passerine species. Oecologia 2019; 189:329-337. [PMID: 30607504 PMCID: PMC6394671 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-018-04331-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2018] [Accepted: 12/20/2018] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Small animals that winter at northern latitudes need to maximize energy intake and minimize energy loss. Many passerine birds use night-time hypothermia to conserve energy. A potential cost of night-time hypothermia with much theoretical (but little empirical) support is increased risk of night-time predation, due to reduced vigilance and lower escape speed in hypothermic birds. This idea has never been tested in the wild. We, therefore, increased perceived predation risk in great tits (Parus major) and blue tits (Cyanistes caeruleus) roosting in nest boxes during cold winter nights to measure any resultant effect on their use of night-time hypothermia. Roosting birds of both species that experienced their first winter were less prone to use hypothermia as an energy-saving strategy at low ambient temperatures when exposed to increased perceived predation risk either via handling (great tits) or via predator scent manipulation (blue tits). However, we did not record such effects in birds that were in their second winter or beyond. Our results suggest that effects of increased predation risk are age- and temperature specific. This could be caused by age-related differences in experience and subsequent risk assessment, or by dominance-related variation in habitat quality between young and old birds. Predation risk could, through its effect on use and depth of night-time hypothermia, be important for total energy management and winter survival for resident birds at northern latitudes.
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25
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Agarwal N, Komal R, Kumari Y, Malik S, Rani S, Kumar V. Development of vernal migration in redheaded buntings: concurrent behavioral, physiological and neural changes under stimulatory photoperiods. Photochem Photobiol Sci 2019; 18:2509-2520. [DOI: 10.1039/c9pp00273a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
We investigated changes in behavior, physiology and selected brain regions during the development of vernal migration and reproduction phenotypes in migratory redheaded buntings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Neha Agarwal
- Department of Zoology
- University of Delhi
- Delhi 110007
- India
- Department of Zoology
| | - Ruchi Komal
- Department of Zoology
- University of Lucknow
- Lucknow
- India
| | | | - Shalie Malik
- Department of Zoology
- University of Lucknow
- Lucknow
- India
| | - Sangeeta Rani
- Department of Zoology
- University of Lucknow
- Lucknow
- India
| | - Vinod Kumar
- Department of Zoology
- University of Delhi
- Delhi 110007
- India
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26
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Tolvanen J, Seppänen JT, Mönkkönen M, Thomson RL, Ylönen H, Forsman JT. Interspecific information on predation risk affects nest site choice in a passerine bird. BMC Evol Biol 2018; 18:181. [PMID: 30514204 PMCID: PMC6280475 DOI: 10.1186/s12862-018-1301-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2018] [Accepted: 11/20/2018] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Breeding site choice constitutes an important part of the species niche. Nest predation affects breeding site choice, and has been suggested to drive niche segregation and local coexistence of species. Interspecific social information use may, in turn, result in copying or rejection of heterospecific niche characteristics and thus affect realized niche overlap between species. We tested experimentally whether a migratory bird, the pied flycatcher Ficedula hypoleuca, collects information about nest predation risk from indirect cues of predators visiting nests of heterospecific birds. Furthermore, we investigated whether the migratory birds can associate such information with a specific nest site characteristic and generalize the information to their own nest site choice. Results Our results demonstrate that flycatchers can use the fate of heterospecific nesting attempts in their own nest site choice, but do so selectively. Young flycatcher females, when making the decision quickly, associated the fate of an artificial nest with nest-site characteristics and avoided the characteristic associated with higher nest predation risk. Conclusions Copying nest site choices of successful heterospecifics, and avoiding choices which led to failed attempts, may amplify or counter effects of nest predation on niche overlap, with important consequences for between-species niche divergence-convergence dynamics, species coexistence and predator-prey interactions. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s12862-018-1301-3) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jere Tolvanen
- Department of Ecology and Genetics, University of Oulu, 90014, Oulu, Finland. .,Current Address: Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke), University of Oulu, Paavo Havaksen tie 3, 90014, Oulu, Finland.
| | - Janne-Tuomas Seppänen
- Nature and Game Management Trust, Degerby, Finland.,Open Science Centre, University of Jyvaskyla, PO Box 35, 40014 University of Jyvaskyla, Jyväskylä, Finland
| | - Mikko Mönkkönen
- Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Jyvaskyla, PO Box 35, 40014 University of Jyvaskyla, Jyväskylä, Finland
| | - Robert L Thomson
- Section of Ecology, Department of Biology, University of Turku, 20014, Turku, Finland.,Percy FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology, DST-NRF Centre of Excellence, University of Cape Town, 7701, Rondebosch, South Africa
| | - Hannu Ylönen
- Department of Biological and Environmental Science, University of Jyvaskyla, Konnevesi Research Station, 44300, Konnevesi, Finland
| | - Jukka T Forsman
- Department of Ecology and Genetics, University of Oulu, 90014, Oulu, Finland.,Current Address: Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke), University of Oulu, Paavo Havaksen tie 3, 90014, Oulu, Finland
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27
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Red-legged partridges perceive the scent of predators and alarm scents of an avian heterospecific. Anim Behav 2018. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2018.08.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
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28
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Amo L, Tomás G, Saavedra I, Visser ME. Wild great and blue tits do not avoid chemical cues of predators when selecting cavities for roosting. PLoS One 2018; 13:e0203269. [PMID: 30231070 PMCID: PMC6145545 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0203269] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2017] [Accepted: 08/19/2018] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Small birds use cavities for roosting to decrease the thermoregulatory costs during the winter nights. The ability of birds to detect and escape from an approaching predator is impaired during roosting and thus the selection of such cavities should take into account the risk that a predator will find the cavity. Previous evidence suggested that birds in captivity are able to detect predator scent and avoid roosting in nest-boxes containing such predator chemical cues. Here, we tested whether birds also show this avoidance response under natural conditions. We performed three studies in three populations of blue and great tits. We added predator scent, a pungency scent or an odourless control to nest-boxes and compared the use of these nest-boxes for roosting. We found no differences between the scent treatments in the use of nest-boxes. Therefore, chemical cues indicating the potential presence of a predator are not enough for birds to avoid roosting in nest-boxes under natural conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luisa Amo
- Department of Animal Ecology, Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW), Wageningen, The Netherlands
- Departamento de Ecología Evolutiva, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (CSIC), Madrid, Spain
- * E-mail:
| | - Gustavo Tomás
- Department of Animal Ecology, Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW), Wageningen, The Netherlands
- Departamento de Ecología Funcional y Evolutiva, Estación Experimental de Zonas Áridas (CSIC), La Cañada de San Urbano, Almería, Spain
| | - Irene Saavedra
- Departamento de Ecología Evolutiva, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (CSIC), Madrid, Spain
| | - Marcel E. Visser
- Department of Animal Ecology, Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW), Wageningen, The Netherlands
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29
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Blackwell BF, Seamans TW, Pfeiffer MB, Buckingham BN. European Starling (Sturnus vulgaris) reproduction undeterred by predator scent inside nest boxes. CAN J ZOOL 2018. [DOI: 10.1139/cjz-2017-0299] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
Indirect predator cues near nests have been shown to enhance perceived predation risk and associated antipredator behaviours in breeding animals across taxa and particularly with birds. We hypothesized that scent from the raccoon (Procyon lotor (Linnaeus, 1758)) inside nest boxes would, despite being an evolutionarily unique predator, enhance perceived risk to the European Starling (Sturnus vulgaris (Linnaeus, 1758)), thus reducing use of treated sites and reproduction. During early spring, starlings selected from nest boxes treated with equal volumes of predator scent, a novel odour, or water (n = 40 boxes per treatment). We evaluated effects of treatment on reproductive traits via generalized linear models. Starlings established nest bowls in 61% of nest boxes (predator scent, n = 27 boxes; novel odour, n = 24 boxes; control (water), n = 22 boxes); clutches were laid in 68 boxes. We observed no effects of treatment on the likelihood of a clutch (≥1 egg) or nest failure. Further, we found no treatment effects on date of first egg, clutch size, or hatchling number. We conclude that starling antipredator response to enhanced, indirect risk of nest predation is contingent upon a combination of predator cues, as well as direct or indirect experience with nest predation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bradley F. Blackwell
- U.S. Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Wildlife Services, National Wildlife Research Center, Ohio Field Station, 6100 Columbus Avenue, Sandusky, OH 44870, USA
- U.S. Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Wildlife Services, National Wildlife Research Center, Ohio Field Station, 6100 Columbus Avenue, Sandusky, OH 44870, USA
| | - Thomas W. Seamans
- U.S. Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Wildlife Services, National Wildlife Research Center, Ohio Field Station, 6100 Columbus Avenue, Sandusky, OH 44870, USA
- U.S. Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Wildlife Services, National Wildlife Research Center, Ohio Field Station, 6100 Columbus Avenue, Sandusky, OH 44870, USA
| | - Morgan B. Pfeiffer
- U.S. Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Wildlife Services, National Wildlife Research Center, Ohio Field Station, 6100 Columbus Avenue, Sandusky, OH 44870, USA
- U.S. Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Wildlife Services, National Wildlife Research Center, Ohio Field Station, 6100 Columbus Avenue, Sandusky, OH 44870, USA
| | - Bruce N. Buckingham
- U.S. Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Wildlife Services, National Wildlife Research Center, Ohio Field Station, 6100 Columbus Avenue, Sandusky, OH 44870, USA
- U.S. Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Wildlife Services, National Wildlife Research Center, Ohio Field Station, 6100 Columbus Avenue, Sandusky, OH 44870, USA
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30
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Biagolini-Jr C, dos Santos PVR. Egg ejection cost can limit defence strategies against brood parasitism. Ethology 2018. [DOI: 10.1111/eth.12803] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Carlos Biagolini-Jr
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ecologia; Universidade de Brasília; Brasília Brazil
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31
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Yang Z, Sassa F, Hayashi K. A Robot Equipped with a High-Speed LSPR Gas Sensor Module for Collecting Spatial Odor Information from On-Ground Invisible Odor Sources. ACS Sens 2018; 3:1174-1181. [PMID: 29847917 DOI: 10.1021/acssensors.8b00214] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Improving the efficiency of detecting the spatial distribution of gas information with a mobile robot is a great challenge that requires rapid sample collection, which is basically determined by the speed of operation of gas sensors. The present work developed a robot equipped with a high-speed gas sensor module based on localized surface plasmon resonance. The sensor module is designed to sample gases from an on-ground odor source, such as a footprint material or artificial odor marker, via a fine sampling tubing. The tip of the sampling tubing was placed close to the ground to reduce the sampling time and the effect of natural gas diffusion. On-ground ethanol odor sources were detected by the robot at high resolution (i.e., 2.5 cm when the robot moved at 10 cm/s), and the reading of gas information was demonstrated experimentally. This work may help in the development of environmental sensing robots, such as the development of odor source mapping and multirobot systems with pheromone tracing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhongyuan Yang
- Graduate School and Faculty of Information Science and Electrical Engineering, Kyushu University, 744 Motooka, Nishi-ku, Fukuoka 819-0395 Japan
| | - Fumihiro Sassa
- Graduate School and Faculty of Information Science and Electrical Engineering, Kyushu University, 744 Motooka, Nishi-ku, Fukuoka 819-0395 Japan
| | - Kenshi Hayashi
- Graduate School and Faculty of Information Science and Electrical Engineering, Kyushu University, 744 Motooka, Nishi-ku, Fukuoka 819-0395 Japan
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32
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Saavedra I, Amo L. Insectivorous birds eavesdrop on the pheromones of their prey. PLoS One 2018; 13:e0190415. [PMID: 29414994 PMCID: PMC5802436 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0190415] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/06/2017] [Accepted: 12/14/2017] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Chemical cues play a fundamental role in mate attraction and mate choice. Lepidopteran females, such as the winter moth (Operophtera brumata), emit pheromones to attract males in the reproductive period. However, these chemical cues could also be eavesdropped by predators. To our knowledge, no studies have examined whether birds can detect pheromones of their prey. O. brumata adults are part of the winter diet of some insectivorous tit species, such as the great tit (Parus major) and blue tit (Cyanistes caeruleus). We performed a field experiment aimed to disentangle whether insectivorous birds can exploit the pheromones emitted by their prey for prey location. We placed artificial larvae and a dispenser on branches of Pyrenean oak trees (Quercus pyrenaica). In half of the trees we placed an O. brumata pheromone dispenser and in the other half we placed a control dispenser. We measured the predation rate of birds on artificial larvae. Our results show that more trees had larvae with signs of avian predation when they contained an O. brumata pheromone than when they contained a control dispenser. Furthermore, the proportion of artificial larvae with signs of avian predation was greater in trees that contained the pheromone than in control trees. Our results indicate that insectivorous birds can exploit the pheromones emitted by moth females to attract males, as a method of prey detection. These results highlight the potential use of insectivorous birds in the biological control of insect pests.
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Affiliation(s)
- Irene Saavedra
- Departamento de Ecología Evolutiva, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (CSIC), C/ José Gutiérrez Abascal, Madrid, Spain
- * E-mail:
| | - Luisa Amo
- Departamento de Ecología Evolutiva, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (CSIC), C/ José Gutiérrez Abascal, Madrid, Spain
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33
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Krause ET, Bischof HJ, Engel K, Golüke S, Maraci Ö, Mayer U, Sauer J, Caspers BA. Olfaction in the Zebra Finch ( Taeniopygia guttata ): What Is Known and Further Perspectives. ADVANCES IN THE STUDY OF BEHAVIOR 2018. [DOI: 10.1016/bs.asb.2017.11.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
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Oberst S, Bann G, Lai JCS, Evans TA. Cryptic termites avoid predatory ants by eavesdropping on vibrational cues from their footsteps. Ecol Lett 2017; 20:212-221. [PMID: 28111901 DOI: 10.1111/ele.12727] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2016] [Revised: 09/19/2016] [Accepted: 11/30/2016] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Eavesdropping has evolved in many predator-prey relationships. Communication signals of social species may be particularly vulnerable to eavesdropping, such as pheromones produced by ants, which are predators of termites. Termites communicate mostly by way of substrate-borne vibrations, which suggest they may be able to eavesdrop, using two possible mechanisms: ant chemicals or ant vibrations. We observed termites foraging within millimetres of ants in the field, suggesting the evolution of specialised detection behaviours. We found the termite Coptotermes acinaciformis detected their major predator, the ant Iridomyrmex purpureus, through thin wood using only vibrational cues from walking, and not chemical signals. Comparison of 16 termite and ant species found the ants-walking signals were up to 100 times higher than those of termites. Eavesdropping on passive walking signals explains the predator detection and foraging behaviours in this ancient relationship, which may be applicable to many other predator-prey relationships.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sebastian Oberst
- Acoustics & Vibration Unit, School of Engineering and Information Technology, The University of New South Wales, Canberra, ACT, 2600, Australia.,CSIRO Ecosystem Sciences, Clunies Ross Street, Canberra, ACT, 2600, Australia
| | - Glen Bann
- Fenner School of Environment and Society, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, 2600, Australia
| | - Joseph C S Lai
- Acoustics & Vibration Unit, School of Engineering and Information Technology, The University of New South Wales, Canberra, ACT, 2600, Australia
| | - Theodore A Evans
- School of Animal Biology, University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, 6009, Australia
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35
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Annotated Draft Genome Assemblies for the Northern Bobwhite ( Colinus virginianus) and the Scaled Quail ( Callipepla squamata) Reveal Disparate Estimates of Modern Genome Diversity and Historic Effective Population Size. G3-GENES GENOMES GENETICS 2017; 7:3047-3058. [PMID: 28717047 PMCID: PMC5592930 DOI: 10.1534/g3.117.043083] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Northern bobwhite (Colinus virginianus; hereafter bobwhite) and scaled quail (Callipepla squamata) populations have suffered precipitous declines across most of their US ranges. Illumina-based first- (v1.0) and second- (v2.0) generation draft genome assemblies for the scaled quail and the bobwhite produced N50 scaffold sizes of 1.035 and 2.042 Mb, thereby producing a 45-fold improvement in contiguity over the existing bobwhite assembly, and ≥90% of the assembled genomes were captured within 1313 and 8990 scaffolds, respectively. The scaled quail assembly (v1.0 = 1.045 Gb) was ∼20% smaller than the bobwhite (v2.0 = 1.254 Gb), which was supported by kmer-based estimates of genome size. Nevertheless, estimates of GC content (41.72%; 42.66%), genome-wide repetitive content (10.40%; 10.43%), and MAKER-predicted protein coding genes (17,131; 17,165) were similar for the scaled quail (v1.0) and bobwhite (v2.0) assemblies, respectively. BUSCO analyses utilizing 3023 single-copy orthologs revealed a high level of assembly completeness for the scaled quail (v1.0; 84.8%) and the bobwhite (v2.0; 82.5%), as verified by comparison with well-established avian genomes. We also detected 273 putative segmental duplications in the scaled quail genome (v1.0), and 711 in the bobwhite genome (v2.0), including some that were shared among both species. Autosomal variant prediction revealed ∼2.48 and 4.17 heterozygous variants per kilobase within the scaled quail (v1.0) and bobwhite (v2.0) genomes, respectively, and estimates of historic effective population size were uniformly higher for the bobwhite across all time points in a coalescent model. However, large-scale declines were predicted for both species beginning ∼15-20 KYA.
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Rossi M, Marfull R, Golüke S, Komdeur J, Korsten P, Caspers BA. Begging blue tit nestlings discriminate between the odour of familiar and unfamiliar conspecifics. Funct Ecol 2017. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.12886] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Marta Rossi
- Department of Animal Behaviour Bielefeld University Bielefeld Germany
- School of Life Sciences University of Sussex Falmer Brighton UK
| | - Reinaldo Marfull
- Behavioural Physiology and Ecology Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences University of Groningen Groningen The Netherlands
| | - Sarah Golüke
- Department of Animal Behaviour Bielefeld University Bielefeld Germany
| | - Jan Komdeur
- Behavioural Physiology and Ecology Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences University of Groningen Groningen The Netherlands
| | - Peter Korsten
- Department of Animal Behaviour Bielefeld University Bielefeld Germany
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Ruuskanen S, Morosinotto C, Thomson RL, Ratnayake CP, Korpimäki E. Food supplementation, but not predation risk, alters female antioxidant status during breeding. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2017. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-017-2299-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
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Amo L, Tomás G, López-García A. Role of chemical and visual cues of mammalian predators in nest defense in birds. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2017. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-017-2281-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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García-Roa R, Jara M, López P, Martín J, Pincheira-Donoso D. Heterogeneous tempo and mode of evolutionary diversification of compounds in lizard chemical signals. Ecol Evol 2017; 7:1286-1296. [PMID: 28303197 PMCID: PMC5306189 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.2647] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2016] [Revised: 10/18/2016] [Accepted: 10/20/2016] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Important part of the multivariate selection shaping social and interspecific interactions among and within animal species emerges from communication. Therefore, understanding the diversification of signals for animal communication is a central endeavor in evolutionary biology. Over the last decade, the rapid development of phylogenetic approaches has promoted a stream of studies investigating evolution of communication signals. However, comparative research has primarily focused on visual and acoustic signals, while the evolution of chemical signals remains largely unstudied. An increasing interest in understanding the evolution of chemical communication has been inspired by the realization that chemical signals underlie some of the major interaction channels in a wide range of organisms. In lizards, in particular, chemosignals play paramount roles in female choice and male-male competition, and during community assembly and speciation. Here, using phylogenetic macro-evolutionary modeling, we show for the very first time that multiple compounds of scents for communication in lizards have diversified following highly different evolutionary speeds and trajectories. Our results suggest that cholesterol, α-tocopherol, and cholesta-5,7-dien-3-ol have been subject to stabilizing selection (Ornstein-Uhlenbeck model), whereas the remaining compounds are better described by Brownian motion modes of evolution. Additionally, the diversification of the individual compounds has accumulated substantial relative disparity over time. Thus, our study reveals that the chemical components of lizard chemosignals have proliferated across different species following compound-specific directions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roberto García-Roa
- Departamento de Ecología Evolutiva Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales - Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (MNCN-CSIC) Madrid Spain; Laboratory of Evolutionary Ecology of Adaptations School of Life Sciences Joseph Banks Laboratories University of Lincoln Lincoln UK
| | - Manuel Jara
- Laboratory of Evolutionary Ecology of Adaptations School of Life Sciences Joseph Banks Laboratories University of Lincoln Lincoln UK
| | - Pilar López
- Departamento de Ecología Evolutiva Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales - Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (MNCN-CSIC) Madrid Spain
| | - José Martín
- Departamento de Ecología Evolutiva Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales - Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (MNCN-CSIC) Madrid Spain
| | - Daniel Pincheira-Donoso
- Laboratory of Evolutionary Ecology of Adaptations School of Life Sciences Joseph Banks Laboratories University of Lincoln Lincoln UK
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Griggio M, Fracasso G, Mahr K, Hoi H. Olfactory Assessment of Competitors to the Nest Site: An Experiment on a Passerine Species. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0167905. [PMID: 27936093 PMCID: PMC5148006 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0167905] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2016] [Accepted: 11/22/2016] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Since most avian species have been considered anosmic or microsmatic, olfaction and associated behavioural patterns have hardly been investigated. Most importantly, empirical data on avian olfaction is not equally distributed among species. Initial investigations focused on species with relatively big olfactory bulbs because they were thought to have better olfactory capabilities. Hence, in this study we tested the ability of house sparrows (Passer domesticus) to use chemical cues as parameters to estimate nest features. House sparrows are a commonly used model species, but their olfactory capabilities have not been studied so far. We offered two different odours to males and females, namely the scent of mouse urine (Mus musculus domesticus), representing a possible competitor and a threat to eggs and hatchlings, and the odour of hay, representing a familiar and innocuous odour. The experiment was performed at the sunset to simulate a first inspection to new possible roosting or nesting sites. Interestingly, males but not females preferred to spend significantly more time in front of the hay odour, than in front of the scent of mouse urine. Our results strengthen the hypothesis that oscines can not only perceive odours but also use olfaction to assess the environment and estimate nest site quality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matteo Griggio
- Dipartimento di Biologia, Università di Padova, Via U. Bassi Padova, Italy
- * E-mail:
| | - Gerardo Fracasso
- Dipartimento di Biologia, Università di Padova, Via U. Bassi Padova, Italy
| | - Katharina Mahr
- Konrad Lorenz Institute of Ethology, Department of Integrative Biology and Evolution, University of Veterinary Medicine of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Herbert Hoi
- Konrad Lorenz Institute of Ethology, Department of Integrative Biology and Evolution, University of Veterinary Medicine of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
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Kabes LE, Clark RW. The Use of Chemical Cues by Granite Night Lizards (Xantusia henshawi) to Evaluate Potential Predation Risk. COPEIA 2016. [DOI: 10.1643/ce-15-302] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
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Ibáñez-Álamo JD, Ruiz-Raya F, Rodríguez L, Soler M. Fecal sacs attract insects to the nest and provoke an activation of the immune system of nestlings. Front Zool 2016; 13:3. [PMID: 26793266 PMCID: PMC4719217 DOI: 10.1186/s12983-016-0135-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2015] [Accepted: 01/15/2016] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Nest sanitation is a widespread but rarely studied behavior in birds. The most common form of nest sanitation behavior, the removal of nestling feces, has focused the discussion about which selective pressures determine this behavior. The parasitism hypothesis, which states that nestling fecal sacs attract parasites that negatively affect breeding birds, was proposed 40 years ago and is frequently cited as a demonstrated fact. But, to our knowledge, there is no previous experimental test of this hypothesis. Results We carried out three different experiments to investigate the parasitism hypothesis. First, we used commercial McPhail traps to test for the potential attraction effect of nestling feces alone on flying insects. We found that traps with fecal sacs attracted significantly more flies (Order Diptera), but not ectoparasites, than the two control situations. Second, we used artificial blackbird (Turdus merula) nests to investigate the combined attraction effect of feces and nest materials on arthropods (not only flying insects). Flies, again, were the only group of arthropods significantly attracted by fecal sacs. We did not detect an effect on ectoparasites. Third, we used active blackbird nests to investigate the potential effect of nestling feces in ecto- and endoparasite loads in real nestlings. The presence of fecal sacs near blackbird nestlings did not increase the number of louse flies or chewing lice, and unexpectedly reduced the number of nests infested with mites. The endoparasite prevalence was also not affected. In contrast, feces provoked an activation of the immune system as the H/L ratio of nestlings living near excrements was significantly higher than those kept under the two control treatments. Conclusions Surprisingly, our findings do not support the parasitism hypothesis, which suggests that parasites are not the main reason for fecal sac removal. In contrast, the attraction of flies to nestling feces, the elevation of the immune response of chicks, and the recently described antimicrobial function of the mucous covering of fecal sacs suggest that microorganisms could be responsible of this important form of parental care behavior (microbial hypothesis).
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Affiliation(s)
- Juan Diego Ibáñez-Álamo
- Behavioral and Physiological Ecology group, Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Studies, University of Groningen, 9700 CC Groningen, The Netherlands ; Department Wetland Ecology, Estación Biológica de Doñana, C.S.I.C, Avda. Américo Vespucio s/n, 41092 Sevilla, Spain
| | - Francisco Ruiz-Raya
- Departamento de Zoología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Granada, Avda. Fuentenueva s/n, 18071 Granada, Spain
| | - Laura Rodríguez
- Departamento de Zoología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Granada, Avda. Fuentenueva s/n, 18071 Granada, Spain
| | - Manuel Soler
- Departamento de Zoología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Granada, Avda. Fuentenueva s/n, 18071 Granada, Spain
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Rastogi A, Surbhi, Malik S, Rani S, Kumar V. Annual life-history dependent seasonal differences in neural activity of the olfactory system between non-migratory and migratory songbirds. Behav Brain Res 2016; 296:233-239. [PMID: 26386306 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2015.09.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2015] [Revised: 09/09/2015] [Accepted: 09/14/2015] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
Present study investigated seasonal plasticity in neural activity of the olfactory system, and assessed whether this was influenced by differences in seasonal life-history states (LHSs) between the non-migratory and migratory birds. Brains of non-migratory Indian weaver birds and migratory redheaded buntings were processed for ZENK immunohistochemistry, a marker of neuronal activation, at the times of equinoxes (March, September) and solstices (June, December), which correspond with the periods of different seasonal LHSs during the year. Immunoreactivity was quantified in brain regions comprising the olfactory system viz. olfactory bulb (OB), anterior olfactory nucleus (AON), prepiriform cortex (CPP), lateral olfactory tract (LOT) and olfactory cortex (piriform cortex, CPI; lateral olfactory cortex, LOC). In weaver birds, ZENK-like immunoreactive (ZENK-lir) cells were significantly higher in all the brain areas during post-breeding season (September) than during the other seasons; OBs had higher neuronal activity in the breeding season (June), however. A similar neural activity pattern but at enhanced levels was found in migratory buntings almost all the year. These results for the first time show LHS-associated differences in the seasonal plasticity of a sensory system between the non-migratory and migratory songbirds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ashutosh Rastogi
- DST-IRHPA Centre for Excellence in Biological Rhythms Research and IndoUS Centre for Biological Timing, Department of Zoology, University of Lucknow, Lucknow 226 007, India
| | - Surbhi
- DST-IRHPA Centre for Excellence in Biological Rhythms Research and IndoUS Centre for Biological Timing, Department of Zoology, University of Delhi, Delhi 110 007, India
| | - Shalie Malik
- DST-IRHPA Centre for Excellence in Biological Rhythms Research and IndoUS Centre for Biological Timing, Department of Zoology, University of Lucknow, Lucknow 226 007, India
| | - Sangeeta Rani
- DST-IRHPA Centre for Excellence in Biological Rhythms Research and IndoUS Centre for Biological Timing, Department of Zoology, University of Lucknow, Lucknow 226 007, India
| | - Vinod Kumar
- DST-IRHPA Centre for Excellence in Biological Rhythms Research and IndoUS Centre for Biological Timing, Department of Zoology, University of Delhi, Delhi 110 007, India.
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Hollander FA, Van Dyck H, San Martin G, Titeux N. Nest Predation Deviates from Nest Predator Abundance in an Ecologically Trapped Bird. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0144098. [PMID: 26624619 PMCID: PMC4666632 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0144098] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2015] [Accepted: 11/12/2015] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
In human-modified environments, ecological traps may result from a preference for low-quality habitat where survival or reproductive success is lower than in high-quality habitat. It has often been shown that low reproductive success for birds in preferred habitat types was due to higher nest predator abundance. However, between-habitat differences in nest predation may only weakly correlate with differences in nest predator abundance. An ecological trap is at work in a farmland bird (Lanius collurio) that recently expanded its breeding habitat into open areas in plantation forests. This passerine bird shows a strong preference for forest habitat, but it has a higher nest success in farmland. We tested whether higher abundance of nest predators in the preferred habitat or, alternatively, a decoupling of nest predator abundance and nest predation explained this observed pattern of maladaptive habitat selection. More than 90% of brood failures were attributed to nest predation. Nest predator abundance was more than 50% higher in farmland, but nest predation was 17% higher in forest. Differences between nest predation on actual shrike nests and on artificial nests suggested that parent shrikes may facilitate nest disclosure for predators in forest more than they do in farmland. The level of caution by parent shrikes when visiting their nest during a simulated nest predator intrusion was the same in the two habitats, but nest concealment was considerably lower in forest, which contributes to explaining the higher nest predation in this habitat. We conclude that a decoupling of nest predator abundance and nest predation may create ecological traps in human-modified environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Franck A. Hollander
- Behavioural Ecology & Conservation Group, Biodiversity Research Centre, Earth and Life Institute (ELI), Université catholique de Louvain (UCL), Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium
| | - Hans Van Dyck
- Behavioural Ecology & Conservation Group, Biodiversity Research Centre, Earth and Life Institute (ELI), Université catholique de Louvain (UCL), Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium
| | - Gilles San Martin
- Behavioural Ecology & Conservation Group, Biodiversity Research Centre, Earth and Life Institute (ELI), Université catholique de Louvain (UCL), Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium
- Unité Protection des plantes et écotoxicologie, Département des Sciences du Vivant, Centre wallon de Recherche agronomiques, Gembloux, Belgium
| | - Nicolas Titeux
- Behavioural Ecology & Conservation Group, Biodiversity Research Centre, Earth and Life Institute (ELI), Université catholique de Louvain (UCL), Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium
- Environmental Research and Innovation (ERIN), Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology (LIST), Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg
- InForest Joint Research Unit (CSIC-CTFC-CREAF), Forest Sciences Centre of Catalonia (CEMFOR-CTFC), Solsona, Spain
- * E-mail:
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Koski TM, Laaksonen T, Mäntylä E, Ruuskanen S, Li T, Girón-Calva PS, Huttunen L, Blande JD, Holopainen JK, Klemola T. Do Insectivorous Birds use Volatile Organic Compounds from Plants as Olfactory Foraging Cues? Three Experimental Tests. Ethology 2015. [DOI: 10.1111/eth.12426] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Toni Laaksonen
- Section of Ecology; Department of Biology; University of Turku; Turku Finland
| | - Elina Mäntylä
- Section of Ecology; Department of Biology; University of Turku; Turku Finland
| | - Suvi Ruuskanen
- Section of Ecology; Department of Biology; University of Turku; Turku Finland
| | - Tao Li
- Department of Environmental Science; University of Eastern Finland; Kuopio Finland
| | | | - Liisa Huttunen
- Section of Ecology; Department of Biology; University of Turku; Turku Finland
| | - James D. Blande
- Department of Environmental Science; University of Eastern Finland; Kuopio Finland
| | - Jarmo K. Holopainen
- Department of Environmental Science; University of Eastern Finland; Kuopio Finland
| | - Tero Klemola
- Section of Ecology; Department of Biology; University of Turku; Turku Finland
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Corfield JR, Price K, Iwaniuk AN, Gutierrez-Ibañez C, Birkhead T, Wylie DR. Diversity in olfactory bulb size in birds reflects allometry, ecology, and phylogeny. Front Neuroanat 2015; 9:102. [PMID: 26283931 PMCID: PMC4518324 DOI: 10.3389/fnana.2015.00102] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2015] [Accepted: 07/13/2015] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The relative size of olfactory bulbs (OBs) is correlated with olfactory capabilities across vertebrates and is widely used to assess the relative importance of olfaction to a species’ ecology. In birds, variations in the relative size of OBs are correlated with some behaviors; however, the factors that have led to the high level of diversity seen in OB sizes across birds are still not well understood. In this study, we use the relative size of OBs as a neuroanatomical proxy for olfactory capabilities in 135 species of birds, representing 21 orders. We examine the scaling of OBs with brain size across avian orders, determine likely ancestral states and test for correlations between OB sizes and habitat, ecology, and behavior. The size of avian OBs varied with the size of the brain and this allometric relationship was for the most part isometric, although species did deviate from this trend. Large OBs were characteristic of more basal species and in more recently derived species the OBs were small. Living and foraging in a semi-aquatic environment was the strongest variable driving the evolution of large OBs in birds; olfaction may provide cues for navigation and foraging in this otherwise featureless environment. Some of the diversity in OB sizes was also undoubtedly due to differences in migratory behavior, foraging strategies and social structure. In summary, relative OB size in birds reflect allometry, phylogeny and behavior in ways that parallel that of other vertebrate classes. This provides comparative evidence that supports recent experimental studies into avian olfaction and suggests that olfaction is an important sensory modality for all avian species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeremy R Corfield
- Department of Psychology, University of Alberta, Edmonton AB, Canada ; Department of Neuroscience, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge AB, Canada
| | - Kasandra Price
- Department of Psychology, University of Alberta, Edmonton AB, Canada
| | - Andrew N Iwaniuk
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge AB, Canada
| | | | - Tim Birkhead
- Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield Sheffield, UK
| | - Douglas R Wylie
- Department of Psychology, University of Alberta, Edmonton AB, Canada
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Yang SY, Walther BA, Weng GJ. Stop and Smell the Pollen: The Role of Olfaction and Vision of the Oriental Honey Buzzard in Identifying Food. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0130191. [PMID: 26177533 PMCID: PMC4503435 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0130191] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2015] [Accepted: 05/18/2015] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
The importance of olfaction for various avian behaviors has become increasingly evident. So far, the use of olfaction for food detection among raptors has only been demonstrated for Cathartes vultures. The Oriental honey buzzard (Pernis orientalis) is a resident and migrant in Taiwan and regularly forages in apiaries. One of its foods in apiaries is yellow pollen dough, a softball-sized mixture of pollen, soybeans, and sugar that beekeepers provide as a supplementary food for bees. Given that pollen dough is not similar to any naturally occurring food, we hypothesized that buzzards identify the dough’s nutritious contents using olfaction, perhaps in combination with vision. Using a series of choice experiments in which individuals could choose between two doughs, we showed that (1) buzzards almost unerringly chose pollen-containing over pollen lacking doughs when otherwise the doughs were identical in size, shape, and yellow color; (2) buzzards always preferred yellow over black or green doughs if both doughs contained pollen; (3) buzzards still preferred pollen-containing over pollen-lacking doughs when both doughs were black, but at a lower rate than in (1). We statistically excluded the possible influences of the doughs’ relative brightness or of repeat visits by the same individuals. Our experiments thus suggest the use of a ‘multi-modal foraging strategy’ among buzzards whereby olfaction and vision are likely to be both used in identifying food at close distances. We also estimated the olfactory receptor gene repertoire size in the buzzard’s genome which is almost five times as large as that of three other raptor species. Therefore, olfaction is likely of far greater ecological importance to this species than to other raptor species. We suggest that olfaction should be considered in the design of behavioral and genetic studies to better understand the use of multiple senses in avian behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shu-Yi Yang
- Institute of Wildlife Conservation, College of Veterinary Medicine, National Pingtung University of Science and Technology, Pingtung, Taiwan
| | - Bruno A. Walther
- Master Program in Global Health and Development, College of Public Health and Nutrition, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Guo-Jing Weng
- Institute of Wildlife Conservation, College of Veterinary Medicine, National Pingtung University of Science and Technology, Pingtung, Taiwan
- * E-mail:
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Gérard A, Jourdan H, Millon A, Vidal E. Anti-predator behaviour in a procellariid seabird: Wedge-tailed shearwaters do not respond to the odour of introduced ship rats. AUSTRAL ECOL 2015. [DOI: 10.1111/aec.12252] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- A. Gérard
- Institut Méditerranéen de Biodiversité et d'Écologie marine et continentale (IMBE); Aix-Marseille Université, UMR CNRS - IRD - UAPV, Centre IRD de Nouméa; BP A5, 98848 Nouméa Cedex Nouvelle-Calédonie France
| | - H. Jourdan
- Institut Méditerranéen de Biodiversité et d'Écologie marine et continentale (IMBE); Aix-Marseille Université, UMR CNRS - IRD - UAPV, Centre IRD de Nouméa; BP A5, 98848 Nouméa Cedex Nouvelle-Calédonie France
| | - A. Millon
- Institut Méditerranéen de Biodiversité et d'Écologie marine et continentale (IMBE); Aix-Marseille Université, UMR CNRS - IRD - UAPV, Europôle de l'Arbois; Aix-en-Provence France
| | - E. Vidal
- Institut Méditerranéen de Biodiversité et d'Écologie marine et continentale (IMBE); Aix-Marseille Université, UMR CNRS - IRD - UAPV, Centre IRD de Nouméa; BP A5, 98848 Nouméa Cedex Nouvelle-Calédonie France
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