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Guidelines for Collecting and Extracting Avian Odors in a Remote Field: Case Study of a Subantarctic Seabird

  • Conference paper
Chemical Signals in Vertebrates 13

Abstract

Recent research on avian chemical signaling has highlighted the need for new appropriate protocols especially for sampling, and analyzing, compounds borne by individuals Although many studies have already examined the chemical substances secreted by birds, only few works have done so from the perspective of chemical communication and none have focused on the actual airborne compounds which make up the final odor. As well as the relative infancy of the field, this gap originates from the absence of an appropriate methodological framework. In this study, we provide a methodological guideline of various combinations of sampling and extraction techniques that have been developed and tested in our research. These include: analysis of (1) uropygial secretion samples by solvent extraction, (2) feather lipids by solvent extraction, (3) feather lipids by direct solid-phase thermal desorption, (4) cotton swab (rubbed on bird) by solid-phase microextraction (SPME), (5) cotton swab by direct solid-phase thermal desorption and (6) airborne volatiles by thermal desorption. To achieve this, we used the particular case study of blue petrels (Halobaena caerulea), a Subantarctic procellariiform seabird, living on remote islands and known for its good olfactory capabilities. Outcomes from the different methods are presented in terms of chromatographic quality, the number and properties of the analytes resolved, and their suitability for the work in isolated locations. Advantages and limitations of each method are discussed together with challenges that remain to make the new protocols presented more robust for field chemo-ecologists.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the Institut Polaire Français Paul-Emile Victor (IPEV) through the program ETHOTAAF no. 354 to FB, and the Agence Nationale de la Recherche Française (AMBO ANR-08-BLAN-0117-01 to FB). All aspects of the study were performed according to guidelines established by the IPEV and the CNRS for the ethical treatment of animals and complied with current French regulations. The authors wish to thank Tony Reader and Gavin Flemmati from the BBCS School of UWA, for their expertise on GC–MS techniques, and Heidi Woods and Michael Grocott from the ChemCentre, for technical assistance. Special thanks are also due to Aurélie Colomb from LaMP for her help on improving the parameters and the chromatographic outputs of Method 3. We finally thank Eleanor Kean to read over our manuscript. We would also like to thank the anonymous reviewers for all their constructive and helpful suggestions.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Organisms and Environment Research Division, Cardiff School of Biosciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK

    Marianne Gabirot

  2. CEFE UMR 5175, CNRS – Université de Montpellier – Université Paul-Valéry Montpellier – EPHE, 1919 route de Mende, F-34293, Montpellier, Cedex 5, France

    Marianne Gabirot, Jérôme Mardon & Francesco Bonadonna

  3. ChemCentre, Resources and Chemistry Precinct, Curtin University, Bentley, WA, 6102, Australia

    Nigel West

  4. Atmospheric and Environmental Chemistry Research (AECR) Group, School of Chemistry and Biochemistry, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA, 6009, Australia

    Jérôme Mardon & Sandra M. Saunders

  5. Université de Nimes, F-30021, Nimes Cedex 1, France

    Sylvie Campagna

Authors
  1. Marianne Gabirot
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  2. Jérôme Mardon
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  3. Sylvie Campagna
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  4. Nigel West
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  5. Francesco Bonadonna
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  6. Sandra M. Saunders
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Marianne Gabirot .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biology, Western Kentucky University, Bowling Green, Kentucky, USA

    Bruce A. Schulte

  2. Department of Chemistry, Hendrix College, Conway, Arkansas, USA

    Thomas E. Goodwin

  3. Department of Biological Sciences, The University of Memphis, Memphis, Tennessee, USA

    Michael H. Ferkin

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Gabirot, M., Mardon, J., Campagna, S., West, N., Bonadonna, F., Saunders, S.M. (2016). Guidelines for Collecting and Extracting Avian Odors in a Remote Field: Case Study of a Subantarctic Seabird. In: Schulte, B., Goodwin, T., Ferkin, M. (eds) Chemical Signals in Vertebrates 13. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-22026-0_29

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