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Determinants of abundance and effects of blood-sucking flying insects in the nest of a hole-nesting bird

  • Population Ecology - Original Paper
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Abstract

Compared to non-flying nest-dwelling ectoparasites, the biology of most species of flying ectoparasites and its potential impact on avian hosts is poorly known and rarely, if ever, reported. In this study we explore for the first time the factors that may affect biting midge (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) and black fly (Diptera: Simuliidae) abundances in the nest cavity of a bird, the hole-nesting blue tit Cyanistes caeruleus, and report their effects on adults and nestlings during reproduction. The abundance of biting midges was positively associated with nest mass, parental provisioning effort and abundance of blowflies and black flies, while negatively associated with nestling condition. Furthermore, a medication treatment to reduce blood parasitaemias in adult birds revealed that biting midges were more abundant in nests of females whose blood parasitaemias were experimentally reduced. This finding would be in accordance with these insect vectors attacking preferentially uninfected or less infected hosts to increase their own survival. The abundance of black flies in the population was lower than that of biting midges and increased in nests with later hatching dates. No significant effect of black fly abundance on adult or nestling condition was detected. Blood-sucking flying insects may impose specific, particular selection pressures on their hosts and more research is needed to better understand these host–parasite associations.

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Acknowledgements

We thank two anonymous reviewers for valuable comments on the manuscript. We thank Javier Donés (Director of Montes de Valsaín) for permission to work in the study area. The Junta de Castilla y León authorized the ringing and handling of birds. This study was funded by projects BOS2003-05724 and CGL2006-14129-C02-01 from the Ministerio de Educación y Ciencia (to S.M.) and CGL2004-00787 (to J. Moreno). J. M.-P. is supported by a grant from El Ventorrillo field station. J. Morales was supported by a FPI and a postdoctoral grant from the Ministerio de Ciencia y Tecnología. E. L. was supported by a FPU grant from MEC. G. T. was supported at different stages by a FPI grant from the Comunidad de Madrid, an I3P postdoctoral contract from CSIC and a postdoctoral grant from MEC. This study is a contribution to the research developed at El Ventorrillo field station and complies with the current laws of the country in which it was performed.

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  1. Judith Morales

    Present address: Departamento de Ecología Evolutiva, Instituto de Ecología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, AP 70-275, 04510, México D.F., México

Authors and Affiliations

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

    Gustavo Tomás, Santiago Merino, Josué Martínez-de la Puente, Juan Moreno, Judith Morales & Elisa Lobato

  2. Centre for Terrestrial Ecology, Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW), Postbus 40, 6666 ZG Heteren, The Netherlands

    Gustavo Tomás

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  1. Gustavo Tomás
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  2. Santiago Merino
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Correspondence to Gustavo Tomás.

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Communicated by Markku Orell.

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Tomás, G., Merino, S., Martínez-de la Puente, J. et al. Determinants of abundance and effects of blood-sucking flying insects in the nest of a hole-nesting bird. Oecologia 156, 305–312 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00442-008-1001-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00442-008-1001-6

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