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Camacho C, Vidal‐Cordero JM, Sáez‐Gómez P, Hidalgo‐Rodríguez P, Rabadán‐González J, Molina C, Edelaar P. The nightjar and the ant: Intercontinental migration reveals a cryptic interaction. Ecol Evol 2024; 14:e11113. [PMID: 38770123 PMCID: PMC11103455 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.11113] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2023] [Revised: 02/16/2024] [Accepted: 02/21/2024] [Indexed: 05/22/2024] Open
Abstract
Birds and ants co-occur in most terrestrial ecosystems and engage in a range of interactions. Competition, mutualism and predation are prominent examples of these interactions, but there are possibly many others that remain to be identified and characterized. This study provides quantitative estimates of the frequency of toe amputations resulting from ant bites in a population of migratory red-necked nightjars (Caprimulgus ruficollis) monitored for 15 years (2009-2023) in S Spain, and identifies the attacker(s) based on taxonomic analyses of ant-mandible remains found on injured toes. Less than 1% of examined adults (N = 369) missed one or more toes. The analysis of ant remains identified African army ants (Dorylus sp.) as the primary cause of toe amputations in nightjars and revealed that body parts of the attacker may remain attached to the birds even after intercontinental migration. No cases of severe damage were observed in juveniles (N = 269), apart from the mandible of a Messor barbarus - a local ant species - attached to one of the teeth of the characteristic comb of the medial toe of nightjars. The incidence of ant-bite damage may appear unimportant for nightjar populations, but this might not be true if only birds that manage to survive their injuries and potential complications (e.g. severe bleeding and sepsis from opportunistic infections) return from the tropics. More field studies, ideally in tropical areas, that incorporate routine examination of ant-induced injuries into their protocols are needed to understand the true incidence and eco-evolutionary implications of antagonistic ant-bird interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carlos Camacho
- Department of Ecology and EvolutionEstación Biológica de Doñana–CSICSevillaSpain
| | | | - Pedro Sáez‐Gómez
- Department of Ecology, Terrestrial Ecology Group (TEG‐UAM)Universidad Autónoma de MadridMadridSpain
| | - Paula Hidalgo‐Rodríguez
- Department of Ecology and EvolutionEstación Biológica de Doñana–CSICSevillaSpain
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemical EngineeringUniversidad Pablo de OlavideSevillaSpain
| | | | - Carlos Molina
- SEO/BirdLife, Doñana Technical OfficeEl Rocío, HuelvaSpain
| | - Pim Edelaar
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemical EngineeringUniversidad Pablo de OlavideSevillaSpain
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Pérez-Granados C, Schuchmann KL, Marques MI. Addicted to the moon: vocal output and diel pattern of vocal activity in two Neotropical nightjars is related to moon phase. ETHOL ECOL EVOL 2022. [DOI: 10.1080/03949370.2021.1886182] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Cristian Pérez-Granados
- National Institute for Science and Technology in Wetlands (INAU), Federal University of Mato Grosso (UFMT), Computational Bioacoustics Research Unit (CO.BRA), Fernando Correa da Costa Av. 2367, Cuiabá 78060-900, Brazil
- Postgraduate Program in Ecology and Biodiversity Conservation, Institute of Biosciences, Federal University of Mato Grosso, Cuiabá 78060-900, Brazil
| | - Karl-L. Schuchmann
- National Institute for Science and Technology in Wetlands (INAU), Federal University of Mato Grosso (UFMT), Computational Bioacoustics Research Unit (CO.BRA), Fernando Correa da Costa Av. 2367, Cuiabá 78060-900, Brazil
- Ornithology, Zoological Research Museum A. Koenig (ZFMK), Adenauerallee 160, Bonn 53113, Germany
- Postgraduate Program in Zoology, Institute of Biosciences, Federal University of Mato Grosso, Cuiabá 78060-900, Brazil
| | - Marinez I. Marques
- National Institute for Science and Technology in Wetlands (INAU), Federal University of Mato Grosso (UFMT), Computational Bioacoustics Research Unit (CO.BRA), Fernando Correa da Costa Av. 2367, Cuiabá 78060-900, Brazil
- Postgraduate Program in Ecology and Biodiversity Conservation, Institute of Biosciences, Federal University of Mato Grosso, Cuiabá 78060-900, Brazil
- Postgraduate Program in Zoology, Institute of Biosciences, Federal University of Mato Grosso, Cuiabá 78060-900, Brazil
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Affiliation(s)
- Sandra Siegfried
- Institut für Epidemiologie, Biostatistik und Prävention Universität Zürich Zürich Switzerland
| | - Torsten Hothorn
- Institut für Epidemiologie, Biostatistik und Prävention Universität Zürich Zürich Switzerland
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Camacho C, Negro JJ, Redondo I, Palacios S, Sáez-Gómez P. Correlates of individual variation in the porphyrin-based fluorescence of red-necked nightjars (Caprimulgus ruficollis). Sci Rep 2019; 9:19115. [PMID: 31836769 PMCID: PMC6910967 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-55522-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2019] [Accepted: 11/28/2019] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Many nocturnal animals, including invertebrates such as scorpions and a variety of vertebrate species, including toadlets, flying squirrels, owls, and nightjars, emit bright fluorescence under ultraviolet light. However, the ecological significance of this unique coloration so attached to nocturnality remains obscure. Here, we used an intensively studied population of migratory red-necked nightjars (Caprimulgus ruficollis) to investigate inter-individual variation in porphyrin-based pink fluorescence according to sex, age, body condition, time of the year, and the extent of white plumage patches known to be involved in sexual communication. Males and females exhibited a similar extent of pink fluorescence on the under-side of the wings in both juvenile and adult birds, but males had larger white patches than females. Body condition predicted the extent of pink fluorescence in juvenile birds, but not in adults. On average, the extent of pink fluorescence in juveniles increased by ca. 20% for every 10-g increase in body mass. For both age classes, there was a slight seasonal increase (1–4% per week) in the amount of fluorescence. Our results suggest that the porphyrin-based coloration of nightjars might signal individual quality, at least in their first potential breeding season, although the ability of these and other nocturnal birds to perceive fluorescence remains to be unequivocally proven.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carlos Camacho
- Department of Evolutionary Ecology, Estación Biológica de Doñana (EBD-CSIC), Av. Américo Vespucio 26, 41092, Seville, Spain.,Department of Biology, Centre for Animal Movement Research (CAnMove). Lund University. Ecology Building, 223 62, Lund, Sweden
| | - Juan José Negro
- Department of Evolutionary Ecology, Estación Biológica de Doñana (EBD-CSIC), Av. Américo Vespucio 26, 41092, Seville, Spain.
| | - Iraida Redondo
- Department of Evolutionary Ecology, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (MNCN-CSIC), José Gutiérrez Abascal 2, 28006, Madrid, Spain
| | - Sebastián Palacios
- Monitoring Team of Natural Processes (ICTS-RBD). Estación Biológica de Doñana (EBD-CSIC), Av. Américo Vespucio 26, 41092, Seville, Spain
| | - Pedro Sáez-Gómez
- Department of Integrative Sciences, University of Huelva, Campus Universitario El Carmen, Av. Andalucía, 21071, Huelva, Spain.,Instituto Multidisciplinar para el Estudio del Medio "Ramón Margalef", Universidad de Alicante, 03080, Alicante, Spain
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