| testosterone levels and gular pouch coloration in courting magnificent frigatebird (fregata magnificens): variation with age-class, visited status and blood parasite infection. | male magnificent frigatebirds (fregata magnificens) possess a seasonally expressed skin ornament, namely the red and inflatable gular pouch, and are, therefore, a convenient model for the study of some theories related to the evolution of possible testosterone-dependent sexual skin coloration. here we report the findings of a study performed over four consecutive mating seasons in the mexican national park isla isabel. we investigated differences in testosterone level and gular pouch coloration ... | 2007 | 17126838 |
| outbreaks of disease possibly due to a natural avian herpesvirus infection in a colony of young magnificent frigatebirds (fregata magnificens) in french guiana. | the ile du grand connétable nature reserve is a rocky island off the northern atlantic coast of south america that hosts a unique population of magnificent frigatebirds (fregata magnificens, pelecaniformes). a high chick mortality, associated with nodular proliferative lesions, involving featherless areas, such as legs, neck, eyelids, and beak, was recorded during a consecutive 2 yr and affected almost half of the generation. investigations were, therefore, conducted to determine the cause of th ... | 2009 | 19617492 |
| feeding associations between guiana dolphins, sotalia guianensis (van bénèden, 1864) and seabirds in the lagamar estuary, brazil. | the main objective of the present study was to describe the characteristics regarding interactions between guiana dolphins, sotalia guianensis and seabirds in feeding associations in two distinct areas of the lagamar estuary, brazil. boat-based surveys directed towards photo-identification studies of s. guianensis were conducted in the cananéia estuary (ce) (25 degrees 01' s and 47 degrees 55' w) from july 2004 to march 2008, as well as in the paranaguá estuarine complex (pec) (25 degrees 24' s ... | 2010 | 20231955 |
| infection by haemoproteus parasites in four species of frigatebirds and description of haemoproteus (parahaemoproteus) valkiūnasi sp. nov. (haemosporida: haemoproteidae). | abstract among seabirds, the family fregatidae stands out with a high prevalence of blood parasites. four of 5 species in this family have been found infected with haemoproteus; however, complete species descriptions with molecular phylogeny are lacking. seventy-five samples from 4 species of frigatebirds, fregata andrewsi, fregata minor, fregata magnificens, and fregata aquila, were screened for infections caused by species of haemoproteus. four different parasites haplotypes were found infec ... | 2011 | 21992108 |
| corticosterone, inflammation, immune status and telomere length in frigatebird nestlings facing a severe herpesvirus infection. | herpesvirus outbreaks are common in natural animal populations, but little is known about factors that favour the infection and its consequences for the organism. in this study, we examined the pathophysiological consequences of a disease probably attributable to herpesvirus infection for several markers of immune function, corticosterone, telomere length and inflammation. in addition, we assessed whether any markers used in this study might be associated with the occurrence of visible clinical ... | 2017 | 28070333 |
| free-ranging frigates (fregata magnificens) of the southeast coast of brazil harbor extraintestinal pathogenic escherichia coli resistant to antimicrobials. | seabirds may be responsible for the spread of pathogenic/resistant organisms over great distances, playing a relevant role within the context of the one world, one health concept. diarrheagenic e. coli strains, known as stec (shiga toxin-producing e. coli), and the extraintestinal pathogenic e. coli (expec and the subpathotype apec), are among the e. coli pathotypes with zoonotic potential associated with the birds. in order to identify health threats carried by frigates and to evaluate the anth ... | 2016 | 26845679 |
| high levels of mercury and low levels of persistent organic pollutants in a tropical seabird in french guiana, the magnificent frigatebird, fregata magnificens. | in the present study, trace elements and persistent organic pollutants (pops) were quantified from magnificent frigatebirds (fregata magnificens) breeding at a southern atlantic island. stable isotope ratio of carbon (δ(13)c) and nitrogen (δ(15)n) were also measured to infer the role of foraging habitat on the contamination. for another group from the same colony, gps tracks were recorded to identify potential foraging areas where the birds may get contaminated. fourteen trace elements were targ ... | 2016 | 27108042 |
| population genetic structure of the magnificent frigatebird fregata magnificens (aves, suliformes) breeding colonies in the western atlantic ocean. | the magnificent frigatebird fregata magnificens has a pantropical distribution, nesting on islands along the atlantic and pacific coasts. in the caribbean, there is little genetic structure among colonies; however, the genetic structure among the colonies off brazil and its relationship with those in the caribbean are unknown. in this study, we used mtdna and microsatellite markers to infer population structure and evolutionary history in a sample of f. magnificens individuals collected in brazi ... | 2016 | 26901878 |
| local and interannual variations in mercury and cadmium in eggs of eight seabird species of the sinaloa coast, méxico. | mercury (hg) and cadmium (cd) concentrations in eggs of 8 seabird species inhabiting 5 coastal ecosystems in sinaloa, méxico were determined during 2 breeding seasons (2012 and 2013): blue-footed booby (sula nebouxii), brown booby (sula leucogaster), double-crested cormorant (phalacrocorax auritus), magnificent frigatebird (fregata magnificens), brown pelican (pelecanus occidentalis), royal tern (thalasseus maximus), laughing gull (leucophaeus atricilla), and heermann's gull (larus heermanni). t ... | 2016 | 26887632 |
| lineage sorting in multihost parasites: eidmanniella albescens and fregatiella aurifasciata on seabirds from the galapagos islands. | parasites comprise a significant percentage of the biodiversity of the planet and are useful systems to test evolutionary and ecological hypotheses. in this study, we analyze the effect of host species identity and the immediate local species assemblage within mixed species colonies of nesting seabirds on patterns of genetic clustering within two species of multihost ectoparasitic lice. we use three genetic markers (one mitochondrial, coi, and two nuclear, ef1-α and wingless) and maximum likelih ... | 2015 | 26380662 |
| comparative ectoparasite loads of five seabird species in the galapagos islands. | in this paper we describe the ectoparasitic lice (insecta: phthiraptera) found on 5 species of seabirds (magnificent frigatebird fregata magnificens; great frigatebird fregata minor ; nazca booby sula granti ; blue-footed booby sula nebouxii ; and red-footed booby sula sula ) on the galapagos archipelago. we found 9 species of ectoparasitic lice: 5 species of pectinopygus ischnocerans, 1 infesting each host; 2 species of colpocephalum amblyceran lice, 1 on each frigatebird species; and 2 shared ... | 2014 | 24911632 |
| (210)polonium and (210)lead content of marine birds from southeastern brazil. | in this study, we report the (210)po and (210)pb concentrations of bone, muscle and liver samples that were obtained from twelve different marine bird species stranded on beaches in the central-north region of rio de janeiro state. both radionuclides were highly concentrated in the liver samples; however, the lowest mean (210)po/(210)pb activity ratio (1.3) was observed in bones compared with liver and muscle (16.8 and 13.8, respectively). among the species that were studied, fregata magnificens ... | 2014 | 24814720 |
| contaminants in magnificent frigatebird eggs from barbuda, west indies. | we examined persistent organic pollutant and trace element concentrations in eggs of magnificent frigatebirds (fregata magnificens), a species of conservation concern breeding in the west indies. despite that frigatebirds feed at high positions in tropical marine food chains, we detected low levels of most contaminants, suggesting limited contamination of their prey. | 2013 | 24012113 |
| long-term isolation of a highly mobile seabird on the galapagos. | the galapagos islands are renowned for their high degree of endemism. marine taxa inhabiting the archipelago might be expected to be an exception, because of their utilization of pelagic habitats-the dispersal barrier for terrestrial taxa-as foraging grounds. magnificent frigatebirds (fregata magnificens) have a highly vagile lifestyle and wide geographical distribution around the south and central american coasts. given the potentially high levels of gene flow among populations, the species pro ... | 2011 | 20861041 |
| hormonal correlates of breeding behavior and pouch color in the magnificent frigatebird, fregata magnificens. | it is well known that testosterone (t) influences the expression of the behavior and many sexual traits during reproduction in vertebrates. however, patterns of circulating concentrations of t vary tremendously across free-living populations. here the profiles of plasma t levels in the magnificent frigatebird, fregata magnificens, are presented during the courtship, incubation and chick rearing stages of breeding. in addition, the predicted interrelationship of t and the expression of a sexually ... | 2010 | 20603124 |
| morphology and ornamentation in male magnificent frigatebirds: variation with age class and mating status. | male magnificent frigatebird (fregata magnificens) ornamentation includes bright iridescent plumage and a red inflatable gular pouch. these signals are displayed during courtship, along with a drumming sound produced through specialized beak clackings resonating in the gular pouch. the extent of white in the plumage identifies three age classes of nonjuvenile male. here we investigate how morphological and secondary sexual traits correlate with age class and mating status. even though several ag ... | 2007 | 19426094 |
| high levels of lh and testosterone in a tropical seabird with an elaborate courtship display. | for birds breeding in temperate areas, territoriality and courtship co-occur during spring and are mirrored by elevated plasma levels of luteinizing hormone (lh) and testosterone. by contrast, several tropical species show no major changes in lh and testosterone throughout the year and plasma levels are often low. this study describes changes in body condition, lh and testosterone levels throughout breeding in a tropical seabird, the magnificent frigatebird (fregata magnificens). although bi-par ... | 2005 | 15596069 |
| oxidative stress biomarkers are associated with visible clinical signs of a disease in frigatebird nestlings. | infectious diseases are one of the most common threats for both domestic and wild animals, but little is known about the effects on the physiological condition and survival of wild animals. here, we have tested for the first time in a wild vertebrate facing a viral disease possibly due to herpesvirus (i) whether nestlings with either low levels of oxidative damage or high levels of antioxidant protection are less susceptible to develop visible clinical signs, (ii) whether the disease is associat ... | 2017 | 28487518 |
| trophic ecology drives contaminant concentrations within a tropical seabird community. | to support environmental management programs, there is an urgent need to know about the presence and understand the dynamics of major contaminants in seabird communities of key marine ecosystems. in this study, we investigated the concentrations and trophodynamics of trace elements in six seabird species and persistent organic pollutants (pops) in three seabird species breeding on grand connétable island (french guiana), an area where the increase in human population and mining activities has ra ... | 2017 | 28460236 |
| interspecific variation of essential and non-essential trace elements in sympatric seabirds. | chemical pollution is a growing issue for ocean ecosystems, threatening especially apex predators because they bioaccumulate persistent chemical pollutants such as non-essential trace elements. the trophic position is thus a key aspect when assessing the impacts of environmental pollution in marine organisms. here we investigate the differences in the concentrations of essential (cu, cr, se, and zn) and non-essential elements (hg, al, as, cd, and sr), in muscular and hepatic tissues of four symp ... | 2018 | 30005259 |
| detection and phylogenetic characterization of a novel herpesvirus in sooty terns onychoprion fuscatus. | since 2005, we have recorded annual episodes of alphaherpesvirus outbreaks in chicks of magnificent frigatebird fregata magnificens on the ile du grand connétable nature reserve in french guiana. in 2009, we found sooty terns, onychoprion fuscatus, that live sympatrically with frigatebirds, with visible clinical signs of a potential viral infection. to determine if the symptoms observed in sooty terns could be associated with an alphaherpesvirus previously identified in frigatebirds, we carried ... | 2020 | 33088826 |