Songbird preen oil odour reflects haemosporidian parasite load.

ABSTRACT: Investigating the impact of parasitism on host phenotype is key to understanding parasite transmission ecology, host behavioural ecology and host-parasite coevolution. Previous studies have provided evidence that avian odour is one such phenotypic trait, as mosquitoes that vector the haemosporidian blood parasite Plasmodium tend to prefer birds that are already infected. Preen oil is a major source of avian odour, yet studies to date have not identified differences in preen oil odour based on the presence or absence of haemosporidian infection. Because preen oil can vary with physiological dynamics, we predicted that the composition of preen oil odours might vary according to parasite load, rather than solely by the presence or absence of infection. We used gas chromatography-mass s

SUBMITTER: Talbott KM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9223275 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature