Avian life history traits influence eggshell bacterial loads: a comparative analysis

Peralta‐Sánchez, Juan Manuel; Martín‐Vivaldi, Manuel; Martín‐Platero, Antonio M.; Martínez‐Bueno, Manuel; Oñate, Marta; Ruiz‐Rodríguez, Magdalena; Soler, Juan José

doi:10.1111/j.1474-919x.2012.01256.x

Cited by 40 publications

(35 citation statements)

References 49 publications

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“…The avian origins of some nest microbes, and species-specific differences in material used to construct nests, means that it is not surprising that there is considerable interspecific variation in nest microflora. This has been demonstrated in direct comparative studies by Goodenough and Stallwood (2010) and Peralta-Sánchez et al (2012), and is also evident by comparing single-species studies by different authors (e.g. the importance of Pseudomonas for House Wrens Troglodytes aedon (Singleton and Harper 1998) but not Starlings Sturnus vulgaris (Berger et al 2003)).…”

Section: Disclaimermentioning

confidence: 72%

Like mother like nest: similarity in microbial communities of adult female Pied Flycatchers and their nests

et al. 2016

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DisclaimerThe University of Gloucestershire has obtained warranties from all depositors as to their title in the material deposited and as to their right to deposit such material.The University of Gloucestershire makes no representation or warranties of commercial utility, title, or fitness for a particular purpose or any other warranty, express or implied in respect of any material deposited.The University of Gloucestershire makes no representation that the use of the materials will not infringe any patent, copyright, trademark or other property or proprietary rights.The University of Gloucestershire accepts no liability for any infringement of intellectual property rights in any material deposited but will remove such material from public view pending investigation in the event of an allegation of any such infringement. PLEASE SCROLL DOWN FOR TEXT. Microbial relationships between birds and nesting environments are complex and remain poorly understood. Past studies have focused on between-nest variation in egg/chick bacterial profiles with little attention given to the microbial relationships between adult birds and their nests. Moreover, very little microbial research has included mycology despite fungi being prevalent in nesting environments and important correlates of fitness in chicks. In this study, we identified microbes associated with feathers, skin and nests of Pied Flycatchers Ficedula hypoleuca, an internationally-declining migrant songbird. From 75 samples, we isolated 50 bacterial OTUs (Operational Taxonomic Units; dominated by Enterococcus, Sanguibacter, Pseduomonas) and 63 fungal OTUs (dominated by Penicillium, Aspergillus), many of which had not previously been isolated from birds. Although females had significantly higher non-haemolytic bacterial OTU richness and males significantly higher fungal OTU richness, there was considerable diversity in actual OTUs isolated and thus there was no "typical" female, male, or nest microbial profile. Interestingly though, we show for the first time that the microflora of individual females is significantly more similar the microflora of her own nest than the site-level average of all nests. This suggests microbes are shared within female-nest pairs such that microbial communities start to converge. This is probably a two-way interaction as gut/skin microbes were isolated from nests and plant/soil microbes were isolated from females. Convergence was not seen for males, which probably reflects the role of the female as sole nest builder and egg incubator in this species. We discuss these findings in relation to microbial transfer pathways and avian nesting behaviour. The avian origins of some nest microbes, and species-specific differences in material used to construct nests, means that it is not surprising that there is considerable interspecific variation in nest microflora. This has been demonstrated in direct comparative studies by Goodenough and Stallwood (2010) and Peralta-Sánchez et al (2012), and is also evident by comparing single-species studies by...

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Section: Disclaimermentioning

confidence: 72%

Like mother like nest: similarity in microbial communities of adult female Pied Flycatchers and their nests

et al. 2016

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“…Although 32°C is below the optimum temperature to grow some bacteria, it allows appropriate quantification of all four types of culture media used in this study (see Peralta-Sánchez et al. 2012; Soler et al. 2012a,b).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Pathogenic bacteria and timing of laying

Møller

Soler

Nielsen³

et al. 2015

Ecology and Evolution

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Pathogenic bacteria constitute a serious threat to viability of many organisms. Because growth of most bacteria is favored by humid and warm environmental conditions, earlier reproducers in seasonal environments should suffer less from the negative consequences of pathogenic bacteria. These relationships, and the effects on reproductive success, should be particularly prominent in predators because they are frequently exposed to pathogenic microorganisms from sick prey. Here, we presented and tested this hypothesis by sampling bacteria on adult and nestling goshawks Accipiter gentilis. We predicted that early breeders and their offspring should have fewer bacteria than those reproducing later during the breeding season. Adult goshawks with a high abundance of Staphylococcus on their beak and claws were easier to capture and their laying date was delayed. Moreover, goshawks that laid their eggs later had offspring with more Staphylococcus on their beaks and claws. The strength of the association between laying date and bacterial density of nestlings was stronger during the warm spring of 2013, when nestlings suffered from a higher abundance of pathogenic bacteria. Hatching failure and fledging failure were more common in nests with a higher abundance of Staphylococcus independently of the number of years occupied, laying date, and age of the female nest owner. These findings imply that timing of reproduction may be under the influence of pathogenic bacteria. Because early breeding goshawks produce more recruits than later breeders, our results suggest a role for pathogenic bacteria in the optimal timing of reproduction.

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“…Diverse sets of pathogenic and non-pathogenic microorganisms have been identified on feathers and nests (Shawkey et al, 2005;Shawkey et al, 2006;Shawkey et al, 2009), including some of biomedical importance like Staphylococcus, Bacillus, Salmonella, Klebsiella, Enterococcus and Enterobacter (Literák et al, 1995;Singleton and Harper, 1998;Mills et al, 1999;Berger et al, 2003;Peralta-Sánchez et al, 2012). Pathogens pose a threat to egg integrity, as infection decreases embryonic viability (Cook et al, 2005a;Cook et al, 2005b), and are considered one of the main causes of embryonic death (Davies and Baggott, 1989;Pinowski et al, 1994;Deeming, 1995;D'Alba et al, 2011).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Antimicrobial properties of a nanostructured eggshell from a compost-nesting bird

D’Alba

Jones

Badawy

et al. 2013

Journal of Experimental Biology

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Infection is an important source of mortality for avian embryos but parental behaviors and eggs themselves can provide a network of antimicrobial defenses. Mound builders (Aves: Megapodiidae) are unique among birds in that they produce heat for developing embryos not by sitting on eggs but by burying them in carefully tended mounds of soil and microbially decomposing vegetation. The low infection rate of eggs of one species in particular, the Australian brush-turkey (Alectura lathami), suggests that they possess strong defensive mechanisms. To identify some of these mechanisms, we first quantified antimicrobial albumen proteins and characterized eggshell structure, finding that albumen was not unusually antimicrobial, but that eggshell cuticle was composed of nanometer-sized calcite spheres. Experimental tests revealed that these modified eggshells were significantly more hydrophobic and better at preventing bacterial attachment and penetration into the egg contents than chicken eggs. Our results suggest that these mechanisms may contribute to the antimicrobial defense system of these eggs, and may provide inspiration for new biomimetic anti-fouling surfaces.

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Avian life history traits influence eggshell bacterial loads: a comparative analysis

Cited by 40 publications

References 49 publications

Like mother like nest: similarity in microbial communities of adult female Pied Flycatchers and their nests

Like mother like nest: similarity in microbial communities of adult female Pied Flycatchers and their nests

Pathogenic bacteria and timing of laying

Antimicrobial properties of a nanostructured eggshell from a compost-nesting bird

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