Feather Lipids

Bolliger, Adolph; Varga, D.

doi:10.1038/1901125a0

Cited by 21 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 1 publication

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“…Studies of lipids reveal that different compounds may be produced in the epidermis (11), feathers (12)(13)(14), and uropygial (preen) gland (15), a prominent exocrine organ located at the base of the tail of many birds. Different lipids, or relative proportions of them, occur among feather types as well (12). The separate extractions with methanol or ethanol of the epidermis, feathers, and uropygial gland of New Guinean birds provide preliminary information on the distribution of BTXs (1, 2).…”

Section: ϫ3mentioning

confidence: 99%

Avian chemical defense: Toxic birds not of a feather

Weldon

2000

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

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Section: ϫ3mentioning

confidence: 99%

Avian chemical defense: Toxic birds not of a feather

Weldon

2000

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

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“…The finding is striking in the light of the few previous accounts of such comparisons, which typically reported important qualitative differences between the two signals. For instance, Bolliger and Varga (1961)'s examination of feather lipids across 14 bird species (unfortunately not explicitly provided) led them to the conclusion that “ feather lipids are of dissimilar qualitative composition to the preen or oil gland secretion … ”. As a result, the authors hypothesise that feather lipids could be by‐products of the keratinisation process associated with feather development.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

From preen secretions to plumage: the chemical trajectory of blue petrels' Halobaena caerulea social scent

Mardon¹,

Saunders²,

Bonadonna³

2011

Journal of Avian Biology

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Petrel seabirds heavily rely on their olfactory sense and are thus appropriate models for the study of avian chemical communication. The uropygial secretions of blue petrels Halobaena caerulea, for instance, have been shown to encapsulate elaborate sociochemical information including species, gender and identity. Yet, it is the plumage, and not preening secretions per se, which acts as the final substrate of avian scents. Importantly, the chemical relationship between secretions from the uropygial gland, located at the dorsal base of the tail, and plumage lipids has been considered in only a handful of studies which reported large qualitative differences. The emission process of avian scents, and the possible participation of the uropygial gland in particular, are therefore not elucidated. In the present study, we examine the early chemical trajectory of blue petrels' social chemosignals by comparing secretion and feather samples using Gas‐Chromatography Mass‐Spectrometry (GC/MS) and recently developed multivariate statistics. Our results indicate that (1) 85% of the feather lipids come from the uropygial secretions, (2) chemical differentiation between secretions and feather lipids includes qualitative and quantitative variations, which both have interesting implications for scent production, (3) the sociochemical information contained within the secretions (i.e. a sex‐specific signal and individual chemical signatures) are present in very conserved forms on the plumage. In the light of these results, it is apparent that the uropygial gland plays a critical role for chemical communication in petrels and possibly other avian groups.

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“…Chemical substances produced by birds have been studied in various contexts, including taxonomy (Jacob, 1978), phylogeny (Sweeney et al, 2004), physiology (Sandilands et al, 2004), ectoparasite repellence (Hagelin, 2008), organic pollutants biomonitoring (Jaspers et al, 2007), purely descriptive (Montalti et al, 2005), or general exploration of the functions of such substances (Bolliger and Varga, 1961; Burger et al, 2004; Piersma et al, 1999; Reneerkens et al, 2002). Relatively few, however, have done so from the perspective of chemical communication by investigating the existence of potential semiochemicals (chemical substance produced by the organism that carries a message for purpose of communication).…”

Section: Why Is Chemical Communication Important In Avian Reproducmentioning

confidence: 99%

The perfume of reproduction in birds: Chemosignaling in avian social life

Samuel

Balthazart²,

Bonadonna

2015

Hormones and Behavior

106

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Chemical cues were probably the first cues ever used to communicate and are still ubiquitous among living organisms. Birds have long been considered an exception: it was believed that birds were anosmic and relied on their acute visual and acoustic capabilities. Birds are however excellent smellers and use odors in various contexts including food searching, orientation, but also breeding. Successful reproduction in most vertebrates involves the exchange of complex social signals between partners. The first evidence for a role of olfaction in reproductive contexts in birds only dates back to the seventies, when ducks were shown to require a functional sense of smell to express normal sexual behaviors. Nowadays, even if the interest for olfaction in birds has largely increased, the role that bodily odors play in reproduction still remains largely understudied. The few available studies however suggest that olfaction is involved in many reproductive stages. Odors have been shown to influence the choice and synchronization of partners, the choice of nest-building material or the care for the eggs and offspring. How this chemical information is translated at the physiological level mostly remain to be described, although available evidence suggests that, as in mammals, key reproductive brain areas like the medial preoptic nucleus are activated by relevant olfactory signals. Olfaction in birds receives increasing attention and novel findings are continuously published, but many exciting discoveries are still ahead of us, and could make birds one of the animal classes with the largest panel of developed senses ever described.

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Feather Lipids

Cited by 21 publications

References 1 publication

Avian chemical defense: Toxic birds not of a feather

Avian chemical defense: Toxic birds not of a feather

From preen secretions to plumage: the chemical trajectory of blue petrels' Halobaena caerulea social scent

The perfume of reproduction in birds: Chemosignaling in avian social life

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