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Age-related changes in abundance of enterococci and Enterobacteriaceae in Pied Flycatcher (Ficedula hypoleuca) nestlings and their association with growth

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Abstract

Bacteria have the potential to be important selective forces in the evolution of many aspects of avian biology, including nestling growth. We estimated abundances of two common gut bacterial types in birds (enterococci and Enterobacteriaceae) and their correlation with growth in tarsus length, mass and wing length of 102 nestlings (54 broods) of the Pied Flycatcher, Ficedula hypoleuca, in a population of central Spain. Chicks were weighed and measured on days 7–13 after hatching, at which ages fecal samples were obtained for detection and estimation of abundance of enterococci and Enterobacteriaceae. The loads of the two bacterial types were not correlated. Enterobacterial loads decreased from day 7 to 13, while loads of enterococci increased during the same period. On day 7, loads of Enterobacteriaceae among nest mates were similar whereas loads of enterococci were not similar. On day 13, nest mates did not have similar loads of either bacterial type. Loads of enterococci were positively correlated with body mass and wing length on day 7, but not on day 13. Tarsus growth between days 7 and 13 was negatively correlated with loads of enterococci on day 7.

Zusammenfassung

Alterungsbedingte Veränderungen in der Abundanz von enterokokken und Enterobacteriaceae und deren Assoziation mit dem Wachstum von Trauerschnäpperküken (Ficedula hypoleuca)

Bakterien spielen potentiell eine wichtige selektive Rolle in vielen Aspekten der Evolutionsbiologie von Vögeln, einschließlich des Wachstums von Küken. Hier haben wir die Häufigkeit von zwei Darmbakterien (enterokokken und Enterobacteriaceae), welche in Vögeln vorkommen, geschätzt, ebenso wie die Korrelation dieser Bakterienabundanzen mit dem Wachstum von Tarsuslänge, Gewicht und Flügellänge von 102 Nestlingen (54 Bruten) einer Population von Trauerschnäppern (Ficedula hypoleuca) in Zentral-Spanien. Die Küken wurden an Tag 7 und 13 nach dem Schlüpfen gewogen und gemessen an denselben Tagen wurden, zur Erfassung und Abschätzung der Abundanz von enterokokken und Enterobacteriaceae, Kotproben entnommen. Die Abundanzen der beiden Bakterienarten waren nicht miteinander korreliert. Die Abundanz von Enterobacteriaceae verringerte sich von Tag 7 bis Tag 13, während die Abundanz von enterokokken im gleichen Zeitraum anstieg. Am Tag 7 ähnelten sich die Abundanzen von Enterobacteriaceae unter Nestgeschwistern während die der enterokokken variierten. Am Tag 13 waren de Abundanzen von Nestgefährten bei keinem der beiden Bakterienarten ähnlich. Die Abundanzen von enterokokken waren positiv mit Gewicht und Flügellänge am Tag 7 korreliert, jedoch nicht am Tag 13. Das Tarsuswachstum zwischen den Tagen 7 und 13 war negativ korreliert mit der Abundanz von enterokokken am Tag 7.

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Acknowledgments

This study was financed by project CGL2007-6125 to J.M. (Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación). S.G.-B. was supported by a FPI grant from MICINN and R.R.dC. was supported by a JAE-CSIC grant. We were authorized by J. Donés, Director of “Centro Montes de Valsaín” (Organismo Autónomo de Parques Nacionales) to work in the study area. We thank the group DICM—Centro de Vigilancia Sanitaria Veterinaria, for their help with laboratory work, and S. Merino, J. Martínez-de la Puente, S. del Cerro and J. Rivero-de Aguilar for collaboration in the field. This paper is a result of the agreement between J.M. and VISAVET-UCM. All the experiments performed complied with the current laws of the Spain.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departamento de Ecología Evolutiva, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales, CSIC, José Gutiérrez Abascal 2, 28006, Madrid, Spain

    Sonia González-Braojos, Rafael Ruiz-de-Castañeda & Juan Moreno

  2. Centro de Vigilancia Sanitaria Veterinaria (VISAVET), Universidad Complutense, Avenida Puerta del Hierro s/n, 28040, Madrid, Spain

    Ana I. Vela & Víctor Briones

  3. Departamento de Sanidad Animal, Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad Complutense, Avenida Puerta del Hierro s/n, 28040, Madrid, Spain

    Ana I. Vela & Víctor Briones

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  1. Sonia González-Braojos
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  2. Ana I. Vela
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Correspondence to Sonia González-Braojos.

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Communicated by T. Friedl.

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González-Braojos, S., Vela, A.I., Ruiz-de-Castañeda, R. et al. Age-related changes in abundance of enterococci and Enterobacteriaceae in Pied Flycatcher (Ficedula hypoleuca) nestlings and their association with growth. J Ornithol 153, 181–188 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10336-011-0725-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10336-011-0725-y

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