Abstract
Plumage bacteria may play an important role in shaping the life histories of birds. However, few studies have examined natural patterns of variation in plumage bacteria. We have previously shown that plumage bacterial load is higher during the pre-laying period than during the brood rearing period in female Great Tits (Parus major). Here, we examined whether the pre-laying bacterial peak in female Great Tits develops during nest-building, where the females come into increased contact with the ground and nest materials, or dates back to an earlier period. Females were captured during three stages of nest-building (nest initiated, nest half ready, and nest completed). The density of plumage bacteria and the species richness of feather-degrading bacterial assemblages were studied using flow cytometry and ribosomal intergenic spacer analysis (RISA), respectively. The density of attached bacteria on feathers increased significantly between nest initiation and nest completion. No effect of nest-building stage on feather-degrading bacterial species richness was found. Our results indicate that the density of attached bacteria in the plumage of free-living birds can change rapidly during nest-building, providing one potential cost of nest-building for individual birds.
Zusammenfassung
Anstieg in der Bakterienbelastung des Gefieders während des Nestbaus bei einer Singvogelart
Gefiederbakterien spielen für Vögel möglicherweise eine bedeutende Rolle der Ausprägung ihrer Lebensgeschichte. Allerdings haben bisher wenige Studien die natürlichen Muster in der Variation von Gefiederbakterien untersucht. Wir haben bereits gezeigt, dass die Bakterienbelastung des Gefieders weiblicher Kohlmeisen (Parus major) in der Zeit vor der Eiablage höher liegt, als während der Jungenaufzucht. Hier haben wir nun untersucht, ob der Bakterien-Peak vor der Legephase bei weiblichen Kohlmeisen während des Nestbaus entsteht, bei dem die Weibchen in erhöhten Kontakt mit dem Boden und mit dem Nestmaterial kommen, oder ob er sich schon zu einer früher Zeit entwickelt. Die Weibchen wurden in drei Phasen des Nestbaus gefangen (Nest angefangen, Nest halb fertig und Nest fertiggestellt). Die Dichte an Gefiederbakterien und die Artenvielfalt Federn abbauender Bakteriengemeinschaften wurden mittels Durchflusszytometrie bzw. einer Analyse der ribosomalen intergenetischen Spacer (RISA) untersucht. Die Dichte anhaftender Bakterien auf den Federn stieg zwischen Nestanfang und -Fertigstellung signifikant an. Auf den Artenreichtum der Federn abbauenden Bakterien hatte die jeweilige Nestbauphase keinen nachweisbaren Einfluss. Unsere Ergebnisse deuten darauf hin, dass sich die Dichte anhaftender Bakterien im Gefieder freilebender Vögel während des Nestbaus schnell ändern kann, was für einzelne Vögel möglicherweise einen Teil der Nestbaukosten verursacht.
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Acknowledgments
We are grateful to Veljo Kisand and his co-workers from the Molecular Microbiology Group of the Institute of Technology, University of Tartu, for valuable advice and laboratory assistance and to Elo Rasmann for her help with fieldwork. We thank John Davison, Edward H Burtt Jr and an anonymous reviewer who made useful comments on the manuscript. The study was financially supported by the Estonian Science Foundation (grant number 8566), the Estonian Ministry of Education and Science (target-financing project number SF0180004s09) and the European Regional Development Fund (Center of Excellence FIBIR). The study complies with the current laws of Estonia.
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Communicated by T. Friedl.
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Kilgas, P., Saag, P., Mägi, M. et al. Plumage bacterial load increases during nest-building in a passerine bird. J Ornithol 153, 833–838 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10336-011-0801-3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10336-011-0801-3