1
|
Amo L, Saavedra I. Attraction to Smelly Food in Birds: Insectivorous Birds Discriminate between the Pheromones of Their Prey and Those of Non-Prey Insects. BIOLOGY 2021; 10:1010. [PMID: 34681109 PMCID: PMC8533543 DOI: 10.3390/biology10101010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2021] [Revised: 09/28/2021] [Accepted: 10/04/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Natural selection has favored the evolution of different capabilities that allow animals to obtain food-e.g., the development of senses for improving prey/food detection. Among these senses, chemical sense is possibly the most ancient mechanism used by organisms for environmental assessment. Comparative studies suggest the prime role of foraging ecology in the evolution of the olfactory apparatus of vertebrates, including birds. Here, we review empirical studies that have shown birds' abilities to detect prey/food via olfaction and report the results of a study aiming to analyze the specificity of eavesdropping on prey pheromones in insectivorous birds. In a field study, we placed artificial larvae and a dispenser with one of three treatments-prey (Operopthera brumata) pheromones, non-prey (Rhynchophorus ferrugineus) pheromones, or a control unscented dispenser-on the branches of Pyrenean oak trees (Quercus pyrenaica). We then measured the predation rate of birds on artificial larvae. Our results show that more trees had larvae with signs of avian predation when they contained a prey pheromone dispenser than when they contained a non-prey pheromone dispenser or an unscented dispenser. Our results indicate that insectivorous birds can discriminate between the pheromones emitted by their prey and those emitted by non-prey insects and that they only exhibit attraction to prey pheromones. These results highlight the potential use of insectivorous birds in the biological control of insect pests.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Luisa Amo
- Departamento de Ecología Evolutiva, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (MNCN-CSIC), C/José Gutiérrez Abascal, 2, E-28006 Madrid, Spain;
- Area of Biodiversity and Conservation, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, c/Tulipán s/n., E-28933 Madrid, Spain
| | - Irene Saavedra
- Departamento de Ecología Evolutiva, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (MNCN-CSIC), C/José Gutiérrez Abascal, 2, E-28006 Madrid, Spain;
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
|
3
|
Griebel IA, Dawson RD. Nestling tree swallows (
Tachycineta bicolor
) alter begging behaviour in response to odour of familiar adults, but not their nests. Ethology 2020. [DOI: 10.1111/eth.13015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Ilsa A. Griebel
- Ecosystem Science and Management Program University of Northern British Columbia Prince George BC Canada
| | - Russell D. Dawson
- Ecosystem Science and Management Program University of Northern British Columbia Prince George BC Canada
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Avian and rodent responses to the olfactory landscape in a Mediterranean cavity community. Oecologia 2019; 191:73-81. [DOI: 10.1007/s00442-019-04487-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2019] [Accepted: 08/08/2019] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
|
5
|
Saavedra I, Amo L. Egg concealment is an antipredatory strategy in a cavity‐nesting bird. Ethology 2019. [DOI: 10.1111/eth.12932] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Irene Saavedra
- Departamento de Ecología Evolutiva Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (CSIC) Madrid Spain
| | - Luisa Amo
- Departamento de Ecología Evolutiva Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (CSIC) Madrid Spain
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Red-legged partridges perceive the scent of predators and alarm scents of an avian heterospecific. Anim Behav 2018. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2018.08.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
|
7
|
Amo L, Tomás G, Saavedra I, Visser ME. Wild great and blue tits do not avoid chemical cues of predators when selecting cavities for roosting. PLoS One 2018; 13:e0203269. [PMID: 30231070 PMCID: PMC6145545 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0203269] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2017] [Accepted: 08/19/2018] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Small birds use cavities for roosting to decrease the thermoregulatory costs during the winter nights. The ability of birds to detect and escape from an approaching predator is impaired during roosting and thus the selection of such cavities should take into account the risk that a predator will find the cavity. Previous evidence suggested that birds in captivity are able to detect predator scent and avoid roosting in nest-boxes containing such predator chemical cues. Here, we tested whether birds also show this avoidance response under natural conditions. We performed three studies in three populations of blue and great tits. We added predator scent, a pungency scent or an odourless control to nest-boxes and compared the use of these nest-boxes for roosting. We found no differences between the scent treatments in the use of nest-boxes. Therefore, chemical cues indicating the potential presence of a predator are not enough for birds to avoid roosting in nest-boxes under natural conditions.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Luisa Amo
- Department of Animal Ecology, Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW), Wageningen, The Netherlands
- Departamento de Ecología Evolutiva, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (CSIC), Madrid, Spain
- * E-mail:
| | - Gustavo Tomás
- Department of Animal Ecology, Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW), Wageningen, The Netherlands
- Departamento de Ecología Funcional y Evolutiva, Estación Experimental de Zonas Áridas (CSIC), La Cañada de San Urbano, Almería, Spain
| | - Irene Saavedra
- Departamento de Ecología Evolutiva, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (CSIC), Madrid, Spain
| | - Marcel E. Visser
- Department of Animal Ecology, Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW), Wageningen, The Netherlands
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
|
9
|
Costanzo A, Panseri S, Giorgi A, Romano A, Caprioli M, Saino N. The Odour of Sex: Sex-Related Differences in Volatile Compound Composition among Barn Swallow Eggs Carrying Embryos of Either Sex. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0165055. [PMID: 27851741 PMCID: PMC5112806 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0165055] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2016] [Accepted: 10/05/2016] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Avian communication has been traditionally believed to be mainly mediated by visual and auditory channels. However, an increasing number of studies are disclosing the role of olfaction in the interaction of birds with their social environment and with other species, as well as in other behaviors such as nest recognition, food location and navigation. Olfaction has also been suggested to play a role in parent-offspring communication not only in the post- but also in the pre-hatching period. Volatile compounds produced during embryogenesis and passively released through the eggshell pores may indeed represent the only cue at parents' disposal to assess offspring quality, including the sex composition of their clutch before hatching. In turn, sex identification before hatching may mediate adaptive strategies of allocation to either sex. In the present study, we analyzed odour composition of barn swallow eggs incubated in their nest in order to identify any sex-related differences in volatile compounds emitted. For the first time in any bird species, we also investigated whether odour composition is associated with relatedness. The evidence of differences in odour composition among eggs containing embryos of either sex indicates that parents have a cue to identify their brood sex composition even before hatching which can be used to modulate their behavior accordingly. Moreover, odour similarity within nests may represent the prerequisite for kin recognition in this species.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Sara Panseri
- Department of Veterinary Science and Public Health, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | - Annamaria Giorgi
- Centre for Applied Studies in the Sustainable Management and Protection of the Mountain Environment, Ge.S.Di.Mont., University of Milan, Edolo, Brescia, Italy
| | - Andrea Romano
- Department of Biosciences, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | | | - Nicola Saino
- Department of Biosciences, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
Ibáñez-Álamo JD, Ruiz-Raya F, Rodríguez L, Soler M. Fecal sacs attract insects to the nest and provoke an activation of the immune system of nestlings. Front Zool 2016; 13:3. [PMID: 26793266 PMCID: PMC4719217 DOI: 10.1186/s12983-016-0135-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2015] [Accepted: 01/15/2016] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Nest sanitation is a widespread but rarely studied behavior in birds. The most common form of nest sanitation behavior, the removal of nestling feces, has focused the discussion about which selective pressures determine this behavior. The parasitism hypothesis, which states that nestling fecal sacs attract parasites that negatively affect breeding birds, was proposed 40 years ago and is frequently cited as a demonstrated fact. But, to our knowledge, there is no previous experimental test of this hypothesis. Results We carried out three different experiments to investigate the parasitism hypothesis. First, we used commercial McPhail traps to test for the potential attraction effect of nestling feces alone on flying insects. We found that traps with fecal sacs attracted significantly more flies (Order Diptera), but not ectoparasites, than the two control situations. Second, we used artificial blackbird (Turdus merula) nests to investigate the combined attraction effect of feces and nest materials on arthropods (not only flying insects). Flies, again, were the only group of arthropods significantly attracted by fecal sacs. We did not detect an effect on ectoparasites. Third, we used active blackbird nests to investigate the potential effect of nestling feces in ecto- and endoparasite loads in real nestlings. The presence of fecal sacs near blackbird nestlings did not increase the number of louse flies or chewing lice, and unexpectedly reduced the number of nests infested with mites. The endoparasite prevalence was also not affected. In contrast, feces provoked an activation of the immune system as the H/L ratio of nestlings living near excrements was significantly higher than those kept under the two control treatments. Conclusions Surprisingly, our findings do not support the parasitism hypothesis, which suggests that parasites are not the main reason for fecal sac removal. In contrast, the attraction of flies to nestling feces, the elevation of the immune response of chicks, and the recently described antimicrobial function of the mucous covering of fecal sacs suggest that microorganisms could be responsible of this important form of parental care behavior (microbial hypothesis).
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Juan Diego Ibáñez-Álamo
- Behavioral and Physiological Ecology group, Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Studies, University of Groningen, 9700 CC Groningen, The Netherlands ; Department Wetland Ecology, Estación Biológica de Doñana, C.S.I.C, Avda. Américo Vespucio s/n, 41092 Sevilla, Spain
| | - Francisco Ruiz-Raya
- Departamento de Zoología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Granada, Avda. Fuentenueva s/n, 18071 Granada, Spain
| | - Laura Rodríguez
- Departamento de Zoología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Granada, Avda. Fuentenueva s/n, 18071 Granada, Spain
| | - Manuel Soler
- Departamento de Zoología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Granada, Avda. Fuentenueva s/n, 18071 Granada, Spain
| |
Collapse
|
11
|
Expósito-Granados M, Parejo D, Avilés JM. Sex-Specific Parental Care in Response to Predation Risk in the European Roller,Coracias garrulus. Ethology 2015. [DOI: 10.1111/eth.12444] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Mónica Expósito-Granados
- Departamento de Ecología Funcional y Evolutiva; Estación Experimental de Zonas Áridas (EEZA-CSIC); Almería Spain
| | - Deseada Parejo
- Departamento de Anatomía; Biología Celular y Zoología; Facultad de Ciencias; Universidad de Extremadura; Badajoz Spain
- Departamento de Ecología Funcional y Evolutiva; Estación Experimental de Zonas Áridas (EEZA-CSIC); Almería Spain
| | - Jesús M. Avilés
- Departamento de Ecología Funcional y Evolutiva; Estación Experimental de Zonas Áridas (EEZA-CSIC); Almería Spain
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
Amo L, Tomás G, Parejo D, Avilés JM. Are female starlings able to recognize the scent of their offspring? PLoS One 2014; 9:e109505. [PMID: 25299305 PMCID: PMC4192304 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0109505] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2014] [Accepted: 09/03/2014] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Although there is growing evidence that birds may have individual chemical profiles that can function in several social contexts, offspring recognition based on olfactory cues has never been explored. This ability should be more likely evolved in colonial birds and/or species suffering brood parasitism, in which the risk of being engaged in costly misdirected parental care is high. Methodology/Principal Findings We performed a choice experiment to examine whether females of the spotless starling, Sturnus unicolor, a species that is colonial, and where a fraction of the population is exposed to intraspecific brood parasitism, can discriminate between the scent of their offspring and that of unrelated nestlings. We also explored whether the development of the uropygial gland secretion may play a role in such olfactory discrimination by performing the choice experiments to females rearing nestlings of two different ages, that is, without and with developed uropygial glands. Results showed that female starlings did not preferentially choose the scent of their offspring, independently of whether the gland of nestlings was developed or not. Conclusions/Significance Our results suggest that female starlings do not have or do not show the ability to distinguish their offspring based on olfaction, at least up to 12–14 days of nestling age. Further research is needed to examine whether odour-based discrimination may function when fledgling starlings leave the nest and the risk of costly misidentification is likely to increase.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Luisa Amo
- Departamento de Ecología Funcional y Evolutiva, Estación Experimental de Zonas Áridas (CSIC), La Cañada de San Urbano, Almería, Spain
- * E-mail:
| | - Gustavo Tomás
- Departamento de Ecología Funcional y Evolutiva, Estación Experimental de Zonas Áridas (CSIC), La Cañada de San Urbano, Almería, Spain
| | - Deseada Parejo
- Departamento de Ecología Funcional y Evolutiva, Estación Experimental de Zonas Áridas (CSIC), La Cañada de San Urbano, Almería, Spain
| | - Jesús Miguel Avilés
- Departamento de Ecología Funcional y Evolutiva, Estación Experimental de Zonas Áridas (CSIC), La Cañada de San Urbano, Almería, Spain
| |
Collapse
|
13
|
Armed rollers: does nestling's vomit function as a defence against predators? PLoS One 2013; 8:e68862. [PMID: 23874791 PMCID: PMC3707886 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0068862] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2013] [Accepted: 06/01/2013] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Chemical defences against predators are widespread in the animal kingdom although have been seldom reported in birds. Here, we investigate the possibility that the orange liquid that nestlings of an insectivorous bird, the Eurasian roller (Coracias garrulus), expel when scared at their nests acts as a chemical defence against predators. We studied the diet of nestling rollers and vomit origin, its chemical composition and deterrent effect on a mammal generalist predator. We also hypothesized that nestling rollers, as their main prey (i.e. grasshoppers) do from plants, could sequester chemicals from their prey for their use. Grasshoppers, that also regurgitate when facing to a threat, store the harmful substances used by plants to defend themselves against herbivores. We found that nestling rollers only vomit after being grasped and moved. The production of vomit depended on food consumption and the vomit contained two deterrent chemicals (hydroxycinnamic and hydroxybenzoic acids) stored by grasshoppers and used by plants to diminish herbivory, suggesting that they originate from the rollers’ prey. Finally, we showed for the first time that the oral secretion of a vertebrate had a deterrent effect on a model predator because vomit of nestling rollers made meat distasteful to dogs. These results support the idea that the vomit of nestling rollers is a chemical defence against predators.
Collapse
|