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Attention has recently been focused on microbes that occur in the plumage of wild birds and can degrade feathers under laboratory conditions and in poultry-waste composters. In particular, Bacillus licheniformis, a soil bacterium, was found in the plumage of many birds netted in eastern North America, and poultry feathers were rapidly broken down when incubated in a suspension of this bacterium (Burtt and Ichida 1999). If feather-degrading microbes affect wild birds under normal conditions, they may have played an important role in the evolution of molt, plumage color, and sanitation behavior, such as sunning and preening. We performed the first test on whether a feather-degrading bacterium can degrade feathers of live birds housed outdoors under seminatural conditions. We found no evidence that B. licheniformis degraded wing feathers of Northern Cardinals (Cardinalis cardinalis) when applied twice (with a two-week interval) during the winter, despite the fact that it degraded Northern Cardinal feathers when incubated in our laboratory. In a second experiment, we found no evidence that B. licheniformis degraded feathers of European Starlings (Sturnus vulgaris) when applied twice (with a one-week interval) during the summer, despite the fact that birds were housed in humid conditions that should have favored the growth of B. licheniformis. Las Bacterias que Degradan Plumas no Afectan las Plumas de Aves en Cautiverio

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Detection of rare species can be challenging and time‐consuming using conventional methods, but environmental DNA (eDNA) is becoming a commonly used tool for detection in conservation and management of species. This study demonstrates the utility of the precipitation method (precipitated and preserved in 3 M sodium acetate and 95% ethanol) for collection of eDNA to detect the seasonal distribution of the critically endangered Alabama sturgeon (Scaphirhynchus suttkusi). Surface and benthic water samples were collected across a wider geographic area than previously published for Alabama sturgeon eDNA. Surface and benthic samples both yielded detections and resulted in a similar proportion of positive detections to previous work. However, by sampling a greater portion of the distribution of the Alabama sturgeon, further insight was provided on potential sturgeon movement. The results of the precipitation method show that Alabama sturgeon detections increase during spawning months, and that the fish may be overwintering in the Tombigbee River. High detections from winter benthic samples suggest that habitat choice may play a role in detectability and highlight the need to consider natural history when designing environmental DNA studies. When designing environmental DNA collection for rare species, sampling design should factor in species ecology, habitat use, site characteristics, and specific questions driving the research.

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