Uropygial gland microbiota of nearctic-neotropical migrants vary with season and migration distance.

ABSTRACT: Symbiotic microbiota are important drivers of host behaviour, health, and fitness. While most studies focus on humans, model organisms, and domestic or economically important species, research investigating the role of host microbiota in wild populations is rapidly accumulating. Most studies focus on the gut microbiota; however, skin and other glandular microbiota also play an important role in shaping traits that may impact host fitness. The uropygial gland is an important source of chemical cues and harbours diverse microbes that could mediate chemical communication in birds, so determining the factors most important in shaping host microbiota should improve our understanding of microbially-mediated chemical communication. Hypothesizing that temporal, geographic, and taxonomic effects in

SUBMITTER: Grieves LA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11780944 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature