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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Data Availability
Data are available via Dryad (https://doi.org/10.25338/B8WS5C).
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Acknowledgements
This research was supported by NSF IOS 1258828 awarded to Susan Ebeler and Gabrielle Nevitt. We acknowledge Gabrielle Nevitt for her initial contributions to the study and coordination of the field site. We would like to thank Lee and Carlene Adams, Jason Nickerson, Dave Shutler, and Phil Taylor for logistical support in the field. For assistance in the laboratory and the field, we thank Brian Hoover, Gabrielle Names, Chris Tyson, Amy Miles, and Anna Hjelmeland. We are also grateful to the many colleagues and collaborators who provided advice and support during various stages of this project.
Funding
Support for this research came from NSF IOS 1258828 awarded to Gabrielle Nevitt and Susan Ebeler.
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SLJ and SEE designed the project. SLJ collected samples in the field and performed laboratory work. SLJ led data analysis with input from SEE. SLJ and SEE wrote and edited the manuscript.
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All field methods and protocols were approved by University of California, Davis Animal Care and Use: protocol 17588 in 2015 and protocol 19288 in 2016. Permits for research activities were granted by Canadian Wildlife Service: banding permit 10695 and research permit SC2742. Samples were transported using USDA veterinary permit to import controlled materials, organisms, or vectors 125361 and Nova Scotia Permit to Export Wildlife.
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Jennings, S.L., Ebeler, S.E. Individual Chemical Profiles in the Leach’s Storm-Petrel. J Chem Ecol 46, 845–864 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10886-020-01207-0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10886-020-01207-0