Beneficial Effects of Cloacal Bacteria on Growth and Fledging Size in Nestling Pied Flycatchers (Ficedula Hypoleuca) in Spain

Abstract:

Effects of bacteria on avian hosts in the wild have received little attention until recently. Whereas the pathogenic effects of bacteria are well known, positive effects of symbiotic bacteria are more rarely considered. Nestling growth has important repercussions for offspring fitness in avian populations and may be affected by microbial colonization of the gut. Enterococcus faecalis is a common opportunistic pathogen, whereas E. faecium has been used as a growth promoter because it interacts competitively with pathogenic bacteria, E. faecalis included. We followed the growth in tarsus length and mass of 18 Pied Flycatcher (Ficedula hypoleuca) broods. Chicks were weighed and measured on days 4, 8, 10, and 13 after hatching. On day 13, wing length was also measured and cloacal swabs were taken of two chicks in each brood for detection of enterococci. In all, the methods used allowed us to detect six species …

Año de publicación:

2003

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