首页 | 本学科首页   官方微博 | 高级检索  
   检索      


Chronic coccidian infestation compromises flight feather quality in house sparrows Passer domesticus
Authors:Péter L Pap  Csongor I Vágási  L?rinc B?rbos  Attila Marton
Institution:1. Evolutionary Ecology Group, Hungarian Department of Biology and Ecology, Babe?‐Bolyai University, , RO‐400006 Cluj Napoca, Romania;2. Behavioural Ecology Research Group, Department of Evolutionary Zoology, University of Debrecen, , H‐4032 Debrecen, Hungary
Abstract:Parasites usurp indispensable resources for birds during a moult, and this is particularly relevant for those parasites residing in host intestines. This might compromise the nutritionally demanding moult and, thus, feather functionality. Although lower feather quality has profound and multifaceted adverse effects on residual fitness, surprisingly, little is known about parasites' effect on feather traits, especially over the longer term. We conducted an aviary experiment by medicating half of a group of naturally infested house sparrows Passer domesticus against intestinal coccidians for 15 months, spanning two consecutive postnuptial moults, whereas the other half was kept infested (i.e. without medication). Coccidian infestation significantly and negatively affected the size of the uropygial gland during the second moulting period compared to the medicated group. Furthermore, wing length was significantly shorter after the second moulting in the non‐medicated compared to the medicated female birds, which indicates that the negative effects of coccidians emerge only after a prolonged exposure to parasite infestation. Non‐medicated birds grew poorer quality flight feathers detected in a large number of feather traits both after the first and second moults. In the case of non‐medicated birds, the primaries were lighter and shorter, and had a smaller vane area, thinner rachis and decreased stiffness, although a higher barb and barbule density, which may have various consequences for fitness through reducing flight performance. Our findings demonstrate that, besides the well‐known immediate consequences for host breeding success, parasites might also have serious, long‐lasting effects through influencing feather quality and, ultimately, fitness of the host. © 2013 The Linnean Society of London
Keywords:bending stiffness  feather structure  infection  moult  uropygial gland size
设为首页 | 免责声明 | 关于勤云 | 加入收藏

Copyright©北京勤云科技发展有限公司  京ICP备09084417号