| thalassornectes (alcidectes) aukletae, new subgenus and species (acari: hypoderatidae) from the crested and parakeet auklets (aves: charadriiformes; alcidae). | in the genus thalassornectes, a new subgenus, alcidectes, and a new species, t. (alcidectes) aukletae, are described from deutonymphs in the subcutaneous adipose tissue of the crested auklet, aethia cristatella (pallas), and the parakeet auklet, cyclorrhynchus psittacula (pallas), from the eastern pacific ussr. the new subgenus and species differ from one or both of the single species in each of the other two subgenera, thalassornectes and rallidectes, by (1) the normal size, position, and paral ... | 1991 | 2056500 |
| experimental evidence for mutual inter- and intrasexual selection favouring a crested auklet ornament. | during the breeding season, female and male crested auklets aethia cristatella (alcidae), display similar conspicuous crest ornaments composed of elongated forward-curving feathers on their foreheads. based on quantifications of brief agonistic interactions at a large breeding colony, we found that crest length was strongly correlated with dominance within both sexes. across the full range of crest length, individuals with longer crests were dominant over shorter-crested individuals in agonistic ... | 1999 | 10196041 |
| heteropteran chemical repellents identified in the citrus odor of a seabird (crested auklet: aethia cristatella): evolutionary convergence in chemical ecology. | the exogenous application of chemical repellents is widespread in birds, but endogenous production is exceedingly rare. we herein report a new class of avian defensive compounds isolated from the feathers and volatile odor of the crested auklet (aethia cristatella). mass spectra indicate that n-hexanal, n-octanal, n-decanal, z-4-decenal and a 12-carbon unsaturated aldehyde comprise the auklet odorant. octanal and hexanal are also secreted in the repugnant metasternal gland emissions of heteropte ... | 2001 | 11572013 |
| chemical odorant of colonial seabird repels mosquitoes. | the crested auklet, aethia cristatella, emits a class of aldehydes shown to be potent invertebrate repellents when used by heteropterans against their predators. our aim was to determine the efficacy of these aldehydes against mosquitoes in the laboratory. synthetic analogues of the auklet odorant were strongly repellent to mosquitoes in controlled laboratory trials. furthermore, the efficacy was similar to previous reports for commercial mosquito repellents. these results, in combination with a ... | 2005 | 16119555 |
| measurement of chemical emissions in crested auklets (aethia cristatella). | this report presents the first quantitative estimates of emission rates for chemical signals in a bird-the crested auklet (aethia cristatella). volatile emissions from live birds were captured in a purified airstream onto polymer traps. traps were eluted with methanol and analyzed with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. the volatile collection chamber was field-calibrated with an in-line bubbler and synthetic octanal, the dominant constituent of the crested auklet's citruslike odor. the resul ... | 2006 | 17061168 |
| prenuptial perfume: alloanointing in the social rituals of the crested auklet (aethia cristatella) and the transfer of arthropod deterrents. | alloanointing, the transfer of chemicals between conspecifics, is known among mammals, but hitherto, the behavior has not been documented for birds. the crested auklet (aethia cristatella), a colonial seabird of alaskan and siberian waters, alloanoints during courtship with fragrant aldehydes that are released from specialized wick-like feathers located in the interscapular region. crested auklets solicit anointment at the colony, and prospective mates rub bill, breast, head, and neck over wick ... | 2008 | 17703279 |
| seasonal covariation in progesterone and odorant emissions among breeding crested auklets (aethia cristatella). | crested auklets emit a citrus-like odorant that is seasonally modulated, suggesting that it is a secondary sexual trait. we hypothesized that expression of the chemical odorant is facilitated by steroid hormones, similar other secondary sexual traits in birds. therefore we examined variation in concentrations of hormones in blood plasma and odor production during incubation and early chick rearing. a novel method was used to obtain and measure chemical emissions of crested auklets. blood plasma ... | 2008 | 18445496 |
| auklet (charadriiformes: alcidae, aethia spp.) chick meals from the aleutian islands, alaska, have a very low incidence of plastic marine debris. | the ingestion of plastic marine debris is a chronic problem for some of the world's seabird species, contributing to reduced chick survival, population declines, and deposition of contaminants via absorption in birds' gastrointestinal tract. we analysed the frequency of ingested plastic in chick meals delivered by adults in four species of auklet - crested (aethia cristatella), least (a. pusilla), parakeet (a. psittacula), and whiskered (a. pygmaea) - from three breeding colonies in the aleutian ... | 2010 | 20627261 |
| evaluating the power of surface attendance counts to detect long-term trends in populations of crevice-nesting auklets. | power analyses are essential when developing a long-term monitoring program for a target species whose observation is logistically challenging and expensive. these analyses can be complicated when the observations have a complex variance structure reflecting many factors. crevice-nesting seabirds such as least and crested auklets aethia pusilla and aethia cristatella illustrate both this need and these challenges. they are ecosystem indicators for the bering sea, a system expected to undergo lar ... | 2011 | 20811807 |
| colonial seabird's paralytic perfume slows lice down: an opportunity for parasite-mediated selection? | selection for chemical signals in birds could be influenced by parasitism as has been previously suggested for visual and acoustic displays. crested auklets (aethia cristatella), colonial seabirds from alaska and siberia, offer an example of how this might occur. crested auklets secrete lipids in plumage, possibly as an indicator of status and attractiveness. prominent among these secretions are aldehydes, which are noticeable as a pungent citrus-like odour. octanal and hexanal, the most abundan ... | 2013 | 23399419 |
| an extraordinary host-specific sex ratio in an avian louse (phthiraptera: insecta)--chemical distortion? | distortions of sex ratios and sexual traits from synthetic chemicals have been well documented; however, there is little evidence for such phenomena associated with naturally occurring chemical exposures. we reasoned that chemical secretions of vertebrates could contribute to skewed sex ratios in ectoparasitic insects due to differences in susceptibility among the sexes. for example, among ectoparasitic lice the female is generally the larger sex. smaller males may be more susceptible to chemica ... | 2015 | 26314060 |
| [spatial genetic structure of the crested auklet (aethia cristatella pallas, 1769) colony as inferred from data on the mitochondrial dna control region and microsatellite loci]. | the effect of philopatry on the formation of the intrapopulation structure in the crested auklet colony of the talan island, taui bay of the sea of okhotsk, was examined. the nucleotide sequences of the mitochondrial dna control region fragment (408 bp) and five microsatellite loci (apy03, apy04, apy06, apy07, apy10) in individuals from two study plots of the colony were examined. a high genetic diversity (h = 0.999 ± 0.003) and the absence of intrapopulation genetic differentiation was observed ... | 2015 | 26606801 |
| a tangerine-scented social odour in a monogamous seabird. | social odours, conspecific chemical signals, have been demonstrated in every class of vertebrate except birds. the apparent absence is surprising, as every bird examined has a functional olfactory system and many produce odours. the crested auklet (aethia cristatella), a monogamous seabird, exhibits a distinctive tangerine-like scent closely associated with courtship. using t-maze experiments, we tested whether auklets preferred conspecific odours and whether they distinguished between different ... | 2003 | 12965022 |
| avian cholera causes marine bird mortality in the bering sea of alaska. | the first known avian cholera outbreak among wild birds in alaska occurred during november 2013. liver, intestinal, and splenic necrosis consistent with avian cholera was noted, and pasteurella multocida serotype 1 was isolated from liver and lung or spleen in crested auklets (aethia cristatella), thick-billed murres (uria lomvia), common eider (somateria mollissima), northern fulmars (fulmarus glacialis), and gulls (larus spp.). | 2015 | 26251989 |
| bioindicators of organochlorine pesticides in the sea of okhotsk and the western bering sea. | organochlorine pesticides (ocps), such as hchs and ddts, are still used as pesticides in the southern hemisphere and can reach the north pacific due to long range atmospheric transfer. marine mammals (pacific walrus odobenus rosmarus divergens, gray whale eschrichtius robustus), the seabirds (pacific gull larus schistisagus, crested auklet aethia cristatella, auklet crumb aethia pusilla, northern fulmar fulmarus glacialis, and grey petrel oceanodroma furcata) and pacific salmon (pink oncorhynchu ... | 2017 | 28528412 |
| relationships between mercury burden, sex, and sexually selected feather ornaments in crested auklet (aethia cristatella). | individuals with higher contaminant burdens are expected to be in poorer physical health and be of lower individual body condition and energetic status, potentially resulting in reduced ornamentation or increased asymmetry in bilateral features. the degree and magnitude of this effect also would be expected to vary by sex, as female birds depurate contaminants into eggs. we tested for relationships among mercury in feathers, sex, and elaborate feather ornaments that relate to individual quality ... | 2020 | 32130640 |
| unusual mortality of tufted puffins (fratercula cirrhata) in the eastern bering sea. | mass mortality events are increasing in frequency and magnitude, potentially linked with ongoing climate change. in october 2016 through january 2017, st. paul island, bering sea, alaska, experienced a mortality event of alcids (family: alcidae), with over 350 carcasses recovered. almost three-quarters of the carcasses were unscavenged, a rate much higher than in baseline surveys (17%), suggesting ongoing deposition and elevated mortality around st paul over a 2-3 month period. based on the obse ... | 2019 | 31141532 |
| organochlorine pesticide accumulation in seabirds and marine mammals from the northwest pacific. | bioaccumulation of organochlorine pesticides by marine organisms is one of the methods of environmental quality. concentrations of organochlorine pesticides (hch isomers (α-, β-, γ-hch), p,p'-ddt and its metabolites (p,p'-ddd, p,p'-dde)) in samples of seabirds (northern fulmar fulmarus glacialis, crested auklet aethia cristatella, auklet-crumb aethia pusilla, pacific gull larus schistisagus, and gray petrel oceanodroma furcate) and marine mammals (gray whales eschrichtius robustus and pacific wa ... | 2018 | 29571365 |