Bacteria in the Reproductive Tracts of Red-Winged Blackbirds

Hupton, Gina; Portocarrero, Susana; Newman, Melissa C.; Westneat, David F.

doi:10.1650/7246

Cited by 22 publications

(38 citation statements)

References 31 publications

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“…A large proportion of the 55 OTUs were relatively rare, such that >40% of the OTUs occurred in four or fewer individuals. This pattern of high bacterial species richness coupled with a low prevalence of each species has also been found in other passerines, including the cloacae of female towhees Pipilo maculatus (57 bacterial species; Klomp et al 2008), nestling blue tits, and great tits (78 bacterial species; Lucas and Heeb 2005), as well as in the ejaculates of male, and the cloacae of male and female, red-winged blackbirds Agelaius phoeniceus (53 bacterial species; Hupton et al 2003). Taxonomic assignation of sequenced 16S rRNA gene amplicons was carried out for 38 (69%) of the 55 OTUs (Table 1), and sequences were found to share homology with those of both potentially beneficial and pathogenic bacteria.…”

Section: Bacterial Species Richness In Blue Tit Fecessupporting

confidence: 62%

“…and feral pigeons (Columba livia; reviewed by Benskin et al 2009); or on surveys of dead birds recovered following disease outbreaks, particularly those in visible locations such as urban parks or gardens (Keymer 1958;Faddoul et al 1966;Kirkwood et al 1995). Increasingly, it is acknowledged that the vertebrate gastrointestinal microbiome influences, and is influenced by, a wide range of factors, including ecological variables such as diet and habitat (Blanco et al 2006;Janiga et al 2007;Literak et al 2012); micro-environmental factors associated with the anatomical structure of the digestive tract (Berg 1996;Stevens and Hume 1998); and, in birds, by bacteria from the reproductive tract Stewart and Rambo 2000;Hupton et al 2003). Shifts in the bacterial community structure have been documented to have important consequences for host health in humans (Kau et al 2011;Wu et al 2011) and may have an equally important impact on host fitness in birds.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Life history correlates of fecal bacterial species richness in a wild population of the blue tit Cyanistes caeruleus

Benskin

Rhodes

Pickup

et al. 2015

Ecology and Evolution

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Very little is known about the normal gastrointestinal flora of wild birds, or how it might affect or reflect the host's life-history traits. The aim of this study was to survey the species richness of bacteria in the feces of a wild population of blue tits Cyanistes caeruleus and to explore the relationships between bacterial species richness and various life-history traits, such as age, sex, and reproductive success. Using PCR-TGGE, 55 operational taxonomic units (OTUs) were identified in blue tit feces. DNA sequencing revealed that the 16S rRNA gene was amplified from a diverse range of bacteria, including those that shared closest homology with Bacillus licheniformis, Campylobacter lari, Pseudomonas spp., and Salmonella spp. For adults, there was a significant negative relationship between bacterial species richness and the likelihood of being detected alive the following breeding season; bacterial richness was consistent across years but declined through the breeding season; and breeding pairs had significantly more similar bacterial richness than expected by chance alone. Reduced adult survival was correlated with the presence of an OTU most closely resembling C. lari; enhanced adult survival was associated with an OTU most similar to Arthrobacter spp. For nestlings, there was no significant change in bacterial species richness between the first and second week after hatching, and nestlings sharing the same nest had significantly more similar bacterial richness. Collectively, these results provide compelling evidence that bacterial species richness was associated with several aspects of the life history of their hosts.

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Section: Bacterial Species Richness In Blue Tit Fecessupporting

confidence: 62%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Life history correlates of fecal bacterial species richness in a wild population of the blue tit Cyanistes caeruleus

Benskin

Rhodes

Pickup

et al. 2015

Ecology and Evolution

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“…However, in those studies, the microbes were not determined to species level and only counts of microbial types were considered as a variable. On the other hand, HUPTON et al (2003), comparing bacterial assemblages between pair member mates in red-wing blackbirds (Agelaius phoeniceus), similarly to the present study, found no correspondence between the mates.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 71%

“…The existence of various microbes in semen (e.g. LOMBARDO & THORPE 2000;WESTNEAT & RAMBO 2000) or cloaca (COOPER et al 1980;LOMBARDO et al 1996;STEWART & RAMBO 2000;HUPTON et al 2003) of wild birds suggests that birds can inoculate each other with pathogens during copulation. Nevertheless, information about the prevalence of STM/STD and the effectiveness of inoculation in wild species is still far from being complete and understood.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fungi prevalence in breeding pairs of a monogamous seabird – little auk,Alle alle

Wojczulanis‐Jakubas

Dynowska

Jakubas

2011

Ethology Ecology & Evolution

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Sexually transmitted diseases have been frequently hypothesised as a cost of multiple avian mating but relatively few studies have investigated the issue in truly wild birds. The main object of this study was to determine prevalence and concordance of fungi in cloacae of pair members of a socially monogamous Arctic seabird, little auk (Alle alle), thereby testing whether the microbes are likely to be transmitted during copulation. Various fungi species, potentially pathogenic, occurred in the little auk cloacae. One-third of the tested individuals were found to be a host for one to three fungi species. However, half of the 19 studied pairs were found to be not concordant in fungal assemblages, suggesting that transmission of the microbes between partners is not straightforward.

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“…Escherichia coli is probably a biologically relevant bacterial threat to sperm quality: E. coli has been found in the semen and cloaca of birds [18,19], and in humans has been shown to damage sperm ultrastructure [24] and reduce motility through sperm adhesion and agglutination [5,25] and the secretion of sperm immobilization factor [26]. Thus, E. coli may contribute to variation in paternity success among male birds, and the antibacterial properties of semen observed in this study are probably the result of selection for non-sperm components (e.g.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sexual ornamentation reflects antibacterial activity of ejaculates in mallards

et al. 2011

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Bacteria present in ejaculates can impair sperm function and reduce male reproductive success. Thus, selection should favour the evolution of antimicrobial defences to limit the detrimental effects of sperm-associated bacteria. Additionally, current hypotheses suggest that ornamental traits may signal information about the infection status of an individual or the ability of an individual to resist bacterial-induced sperm damage. However, despite the evolutionary implications of ejaculate antimicrobials, and the putative importance of pathogens for the evolution of male ornamentation, tests of these hypotheses are lacking. We examined the antibacterial activity of semen from mallard ducks (Anas platyrhynchos) and tested whether the bactericidal capacity of semen was associated with bill coloration, a sexually selected trait. We show that mallard semen exhibits significant antibacterial activity, as measured by the in vitro capacity to kill Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. Furthermore, we demonstrate that males with more colourful bills have semen with superior bacterial-killing ability. These results suggest that females could use male phenotypic traits to avoid sexually transmitted pathogens and acquire partners whose sperm suffer less bacteria-induced damage.

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Bacteria in the Reproductive Tracts of Red-Winged Blackbirds

Cited by 22 publications

References 31 publications

Life history correlates of fecal bacterial species richness in a wild population of the blue tit Cyanistes caeruleus

Life history correlates of fecal bacterial species richness in a wild population of the blue tit Cyanistes caeruleus

Fungi prevalence in breeding pairs of a monogamous seabird – little auk,Alle alle

Sexual ornamentation reflects antibacterial activity of ejaculates in mallards

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