Details

Autor(en) / Beteiligte

• Basso, Brent
• Poryanda, Emma
• Grames, Eliza
• Grond, Kirsten
• Knutie, Sarah A.
• Hird, Sarah M.

Titel

Eggshell microbiota of a brood parasite reflects environment, not species

Ist Teil von

• Journal of ornithology, 2022-07, Vol.163 (3), p.757-766

Ort / Verlag

Berlin/Heidelberg: Springer Berlin Heidelberg

Erscheinungsjahr

2022

Quelle

Alma/SFX Local Collection

Beschreibungen/Notizen

• Microbiota affect many aspects of vertebrate biology and vertebrates provide diverse ecological niches for microorganisms. In avian systems, potential habitats for microorganisms include the feathers, skin, gastrointestinal tract, and eggshells. Eggshell microbiota may seed bird microbiota as the birds hatch and may be shaped by parental and environmental influences. Brood parasites are a natural system where parental and environmental influences are obligately decoupled. Here, we sequenced the V4 region of the 16S rRNA gene to characterize the eggshell microbiota of a brood parasite, the Brown-headed Cowbird ( Molothrus ater ), and its host, the Ovenbird ( Seiurus aurocapilla ), to explore the relationships between nest environment, host phylogeny, and the eggshell microbiota. Eggshell microbiota did not differ significantly between species. The observed variation was best explained by the nest in which an egg was laid and the collection site. Our study suggests that eggshell microbiota are influenced by the nest and local environment with significantly less influence by the species of the bird.