Aromatic plants in nests of the blue tit <Emphasis Type="Italic">Cyanistes caeruleus</Emphasis> protect chicks from bacteria |
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Authors: | Adèle Mennerat Pascal Mirleau Jacques Blondel Philippe Perret Marcel M Lambrechts Philipp Heeb |
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Institution: | 1.Centre d’Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Evolutive,CNRS, UMR 5175,Montpellier Cedex 5,France;2.EDB (Laboratoire évolution et Diversité Biologique),Université de Toulouse UPS, UMR 5174,Toulouse,France;3.EDB (Laboratoire évolution et Diversité Biologique),CNRS,Toulouse,France;4.Department of Biology,University of Bergen,Bergen,Norway;5.Institut Méditerranéen d’Ecologie et de Paléoécologie,UMR CNRS 6116, UMR IRD 193, Université Paul Cezanne Aix-Marseille III,Marseille Cedex 20,France |
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Abstract: | Several bird species add fresh fragments of plants which are rich in volatile secondary compounds to their nests. It has been
suggested, although never tested, that birds use fresh plants to limit the growth of nest microorganisms. On Corsica, blue
tits (Cyanistes caeruleus) incorporate fresh fragments of aromatic plants into their nests. These plants do not reduce infestation by nest ectoparasites,
but have been shown to improve growth and condition of chicks at fledging. To understand the mechanisms underlying such benefits,
we experimentally tested the effects of these plants on the bacteria living on blue tits. Aromatic plants significantly affected
the structure of bacterial communities, in particular reducing bacterial richness on nestlings. In addition, in this population
where there is a strong association between bacterial density and infestation by blood-sucking Protocalliphora blow fly larvae, these plants reduced bacterial density on the most infested chicks. Aromatic plants had no significant effect
on the bacteria living on adult blue tits. This study provides the first evidence that fresh plants brought to the nests by
adult birds limit bacterial richness and density on their chicks. |
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