| selective isolation of pseudomonas stutzeri from vertebrate faeces on rambach agar. | faecal samples collected from 308 wild birds of 25 species and 19 rodents of 3 species in south moravia (czechland) were pre-incubated in müller-kauffmann tetrathionate broth at 42 degrees c for 24 h and then streaked onto rambach agar plates which were incubated at 37 degrees c for 48 h. seventeen out of 22 isolates forming orange-red colonies on rambach agar were identified as pseudomonas stutzeri, the rest as pseudomonas sp. and alcaligenes sp. the colonies of p. stutzeri were either dry, wri ... | 1998 | 9861678 |
| polymorphism and transcription of mhc class i genes in a passerine bird, the great reed warbler. | the class i genes of the major histocompatibility complex (mhc) are here investigated for the first time in a passerine bird. the great reed warbler is a rare species in sweden with a few semi-isolated populations. yet, we found extensive mhc class i variation in the study population. the variable exon 3, corresponding to the alpha2 domain, was amplified from genomic dna with degenerated primers. seven different genomic class i sequences were detected in a single individual. one of the sequences ... | 1999 | 9914330 |
| mhc variation in birds and reptiles. | the major histocompatibility complex (mhc) has been studied in a multitude of mammals by now, but much less is known about its organisation and variation in other vertebrate species. the mammalian mhc is organised as a single gene cluster, but recent studies on birds suggest that this paradigm of mhc organisation has to be supplemented. the domestic chicken thus possesses two separate gene clusters which both contain mhc class i and class ii b genes, and we have shown that the ring-necked pheasa ... | 1998 | 10386396 |
| increase of genetic variation over time in a recently founded population of great reed warblers (acrocephalus arundinaceus) revealed by microsatellites and dna fingerprinting. | genetic similarity within pairs of individuals was examined using both 10 polymorphic microsatellite loci and multi-locus dna fingerprinting profiles in a semi-isolated population of great reed warblers at lake kvismaren, south central sweden, in 1987-1993. the population was founded by a few individuals in 1978, followed by a gradual increase in numbers until 1988, since when the population has remained relatively stable with about 60 breeding birds. we have previously found that high genetic s ... | 2000 | 11050548 |
| mhc diversity in two passerine birds: no evidence for a minimal essential mhc. | humans express an array of mhc genes, while the chicken has an mhc that is relatively small and compact with fewer expressed genes. here we ask whether the "minimal essential mhc" of the chicken is representative for birds. we investigated the rflp genotypes in 55 great reed warblers acrocephalus arundinaceus and 10 willow warblers phylloscopus trochilus to obtain an overview of the number of class ii b genes. there were 13-17 bands per individual in the great reed warblers and 25-30 in the will ... | 2000 | 11132162 |
| microsatellite diversity predicts recruitment of sibling great reed warblers. | inbreeding increases the level of homozygosity, which in turn might depress fitness. in addition, individuals having the same inbreeding coefficient (e.g. siblings) vary in homozygosity. the potential fitness effects of variation in homozygosity that is unrelated to the inbreeding coefficient have seldom been examined. here, we present evidence from wild birds that genetic variation at five microsatellite loci predicts the recruitment success of siblings. dyads of full-sibling great reed warbler ... | 2001 | 11410156 |
| a new approach to study dispersal: immigration of novel alleles reveals female-biased dispersal in great reed warblers. | we use the assignment technique and a new approach, the 'novel allele technique', to detect sex-biased dispersal in great reed warblers acrocephalus arundinaceus. the data set consisted of immigrants and philopatric birds in a semi-isolated population in sweden scored at 21 microsatellite loci. fourteen cohorts were represented of which the four earliest were used to define a reference population. female immigrants had lower assignment probability than males (i.e. were less likely to have been s ... | 2003 | 12675819 |
| diversity of mhc class i and iib genes in house sparrows (passer domesticus). | in order to understand the expression and evolution of host resistance to pathogens, we need to examine the links between genetic variability at the major histocompatibility complex ( mhc), phenotypic expression of the immune response and parasite resistance in natural populations. to do so, we characterized the mhc class i and iib genes of house sparrows with the goal of designing a pcr-based genotyping method for the mhc genes using denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (dgge). the incredibl ... | 2004 | 14963619 |
| does linkage disequilibrium generate heterozygosity-fitness correlations in great reed warblers? | heterozygosity-fitness correlations (hfcs) at noncoding genetic markers are commonly assumed to reflect fitness effects of heterozygosity at genomewide distributed genes in partially inbred populations. however, in populations with much linkage disequilibrium (ld), hfcs may arise also as a consequence of selection on fitness loci in the local chromosomal vicinity of the markers. recent data suggest that relatively high levels of ld may prevail in many ecological situations. consequently, ld may ... | 2004 | 15154561 |
| observation of a zzw female in a natural population: implications for avian sex determination. | avian sex determination is chromosomal; however, the underlying mechanisms are not yet understood. there is no conclusive evidence for either of two proposed mechanisms: a dominant genetic switch or a dosage mechanism. no dominant sex-determining gene on the female-specific w chromosome has been found. birds lack inactivation of one of the z chromosomes in males, but seem to compensate for a double dose of z-linked genes by other mechanisms. recent studies showing female-specific expression of t ... | 2004 | 15252998 |
| do female great reed warblers seek extra-pair fertilizations to avoid inbreeding? | females of many species mate with several males. according to a recent hypothesis, female promiscuity serves to avoid inbreeding. we tested this hypothesis in a polygynous bird, the great reed warbler (acrocephalus arundinaceus), in which extra-pair fertilization, inbreeding and inbreeding depression occur. however, the extra-pair males and social males did not differ in relatedness to the promiscuous females, nor did the least related males sire most of the females' chicks. thus, contrary to re ... | 2004 | 15503997 |
| associations between malaria and mhc genes in a migratory songbird. | malaria parasites are a widespread and species-rich group infecting many wild populations of mammals, birds and reptiles. studies on humans have demonstrated that genetic factors play a key role in the susceptibility and outcome of malaria infections. until the present study, it has not been examined whether genetic variation in hosts is important for the outcome of malaria infections in natural avian populations. we investigated associations between major histocompatibility complex (mhc) genes ... | 2005 | 16011927 |
| linkage mapping reveals sex-dimorphic map distances in a passerine bird. | linkage maps are lacking for many highly influential model organisms in evolutionary research, including all passerine birds. consequently, their full potential as research models is severely hampered. here, we provide a partial linkage map and give novel estimates of sex-specific recombination rates in a passerine bird, the great reed warbler (acrocephalus arundinaceus). linkage analysis of genotypic data at 51 autosomal microsatellites and seven markers on the z-chromosome (one of the sex chro ... | 2005 | 16191642 |
| a predicted microsatellite map of the passerine genome based on chicken-passerine sequence similarity. | abstract we present a predicted passerine genome map consisting of 196 microsatellite markers distributed across 25 chromosomes. the map was constructed by assigning chromosomal locations based on the sequence similarity between 550 publicly available passerine microsatellites and the draft chicken genome sequence published by the international chicken genome sequencing consortium. we compared this passerine microsatellite map with a recently published great reed warbler (acrocephalus arundinace ... | 2006 | 16626455 |
| prevalence of blood parasites in different local populations of reed warbler (acrocephalus scirpaceus) and great reed warbler (acrocephalus arundinaceus). | blood parasite prevalence in two related warbler species (acrocephalus arundinaceus and a. scirpaceus) was studied at three bulgarian sites that differed mainly in altitude and weather. the prevalence of haemoproteus, the most common parasite genus, was significantly lower at the highest altitude site (730 m above sea level, asl). such a pattern was not found in ectoparasite-transmitted hepatozoon. this can be explained with worsening conditions for the development of free-flying vectors with al ... | 2006 | 16670881 |
| where in europe should we look for sources of the cutaneous trematode collyriclum faba infections in migrating birds? | cutaneous cysts with trematodes of collyriclum faba have been found in birds during their spring and post-breeding migrations in the czech republic. during spring migrations, c. faba was found in one dunnock prunella modularis, two european robins erithacus rubecula, three common nightingales luscinia megarhynchos, one song thrush turdus philomelos and one great reed warbler acrocephalus arundinaceus. during post-breeding migration, the same parasite was found in one garden warbler sylvia borin, ... | 2006 | 17125543 |
| temporal dynamics and diversity of avian malaria parasites in a single host species. | 1. we have used molecular methods to unravel a remarkable diversity of parasite lineages in a long-term population study of great reed warblers acrocephalus arundinaceus that was not foreseen from traditional microscopic examination of blood smears. this diversity includes eight haemoproteus and 10 plasmodium lineages of which most probably represent good biological species. 2. contrary to expectation, the relative frequency of parasite lineages seemed not to change over the 17-year study period ... | 2007 | 17184359 |
| linkage between mitochondrial cytochrome b lineages and morphospecies of two avian malaria parasites, with a description of plasmodium (novyella) ashfordi sp. nov. | numerous lineages of avian malaria parasites of the genus plasmodium have been deposited in genbank. however, only seven morphospecies have been linked to these lineages. this study linked two molecular sequences with morphospecies of malaria parasites. two species of plasmodium (mitochondrial cytochrome b gene lineages p-grw2 and p-grw4) were isolated from naturally infected adult great reed warblers (acrocephalus arundinaceus) and inoculated to naive juvenile individuals of the same host speci ... | 2007 | 17235548 |
| host intra-clutch variation, cuckoo egg matching and egg rejection by great reed warblers. | prevailing theory predicts that lower levels of intra-clutch variation in host eggs facilitate the detection of brood parasitism. we assessed egg matching using both human vision and uv-vis spectrophotometry and then followed the nest fate of great reed warblers naturally parasitised by european cuckoos. rejection was predicted by the following three variables: matching between cuckoo and host eggs on the main chromatic variable defined by principal components analysis of the egg spectra (which ... | 2007 | 17252240 |
| gene order and recombination rate in homologous chromosome regions of the chicken and a passerine bird. | genome structure has been found to be highly conserved between distantly related birds and recent data for a limited part of the genome suggest that this is true also for the gene order (synteny) within chromosomes. here, we confirm that synteny is maintained for large chromosomal regions in chicken and a passerine bird, the great reed warbler acrocephalus arundinaceus, with few rearrangements, but in contrast show that the recombination-based linkage map distances differ substantially between t ... | 2007 | 17434902 |
| genomics of natural bird populations: a gene-based set of reference markers evenly spread across the avian genome. | although there is growing interest to take genomics into the complex realms of natural populations, there is a general shortage of genomic resources and tools available for wild species. this applies not at least to birds, for which genomic approaches should be helpful to questions such as adaptation, speciation and population genetics. in this study, we describe a genome-wide reference set of conserved avian gene markers, broadly applicable across birds. by aligning protein-coding sequences fro ... | 2008 | 17927703 |
| polymerase chain reaction-based identification of plasmodium (huffia) elongatum, with remarks on species identity of haemosporidian lineages deposited in genbank. | numerous lineages of avian malaria parasites of the genus plasmodium have been deposited in genbank. however, only 11 morphospecies of plasmodium have been linked to these lineages. such linking is important because it provides opportunities to combine the existing knowledge of traditional parasitology with novel genetic information of these parasites obtained by molecular techniques. this study linked one mitochondrial cytochrome b (cyt b) gene lineage with morphospecies plasmodium (huffia) elo ... | 2008 | 18270739 |
| dynamics of parasitemia of malaria parasites in a naturally and experimentally infected migratory songbird, the great reed warbler acrocephalus arundinaceus. | little is known about the development of infection of malaria parasites of the genus plasmodium in wild birds. we used qpcr, targeting specific mitochondrial lineages of plasmodium ashfordi (grw2) and plasmodium relictum (grw4), to monitor changes in intensities of parasitemia in captive great reed warblers acrocephalus arundinaceus from summer to spring. the study involved both naturally infected adults and experimentally infected juveniles. the experiment demonstrated that p. ashfordi and p. r ... | 2008 | 18280472 |
| spatial and temporal differences in the blood parasite fauna of passerine birds during the spring migration in bulgaria. | species composition and prevalence of the blood parasites of three migratory acrocephalus species of warblers (acrocephalus arundinaceus, acrocephalus scirpaceus and acrocephalus schoenobaenus) were studied during spring period in bulgaria. for each of the studied species, we compared the parasite fauna during their spring migration at three study sites in search of infection patterns in time and space. spatial differences were registered in the blood parasites and their prevalence for two of th ... | 2009 | 19190934 |
| identification of blood parasites in old world warbler species from the danube river delta. | warbler species of the families sylviidae and acrocephalidae occurring in the danube river delta are frequently exposed to blood-sucking arthropods that transmit avian blood parasites. we investigated infections by three genera of hemosporidian parasites in blood samples from six warbler species. altogether in 17 (32.6%) of 52 blood samples, a pcr product was amplified. the great reed warbler (acrocephalus arundinaceus) had the highest prevalence, with 63.6% (7/11) infected individuals, whereas ... | 2009 | 20095169 |
| a strong quantitative trait locus for wing length on chromosome 2 in a wild population of great reed warblers. | wing length is a key character for essential behaviours related to bird flight such as migration and foraging. in the present study, we initiate the search for the genes underlying wing length in birds by studying a long-distance migrant, the great reed warbler (acrocephalus arundinaceus). in this species wing length is an evolutionary interesting trait with pronounced latitudinal gradient and sex-specific selection regimes in local populations. we performed a quantitative trait locus (qtl) scan ... | 2010 | 20335216 |
| egg phenotype differentiation in sympatric cuckoo cuculus canorus gentes. | the brood parasitic common cuckoo cuculus canorus consists of gentes, which typically parasitize only a single host species whose eggs they often mimic. where multiple cuckoo gentes co-exist in sympatry, we may expect variable but generally poorer mimicry because of host switches or inter-gens gene flow via males if these also contribute to egg phenotypes. here, we investigated egg trait differentiation and mimicry in three cuckoo gentes parasitizing great reed warblers acrocephalus arundinaceus ... | 2010 | 20345810 |
| susceptibility of two species of wild terrestrial birds to infection with a highly pathogenic avian influenza virus of h5n1 subtype. | the recent epidemic caused by h5n1 highly pathogenic avian influenza (hpai) viruses has spread over many parts of asia, europe and africa. wild birds, particularly waterfowl, are considered to play a role in viral dissemination. however, detailed information on whether wild terrestrial birds act as carriers is currently unavailable. to investigate the susceptibility of terrestrial birds to hpai viruses, two species of wild bird (great reed warbler and pale thrush) that are common in east asia we ... | 2010 | 20390543 |
| quantitative disease resistance: to better understand parasite-mediated selection on major histocompatibility complex. | we outline a descriptive framework of how candidate alleles of the immune system associate with infectious diseases in natural populations of animals. three kinds of alleles can be separated when both prevalence of infection and infection intensity are measured-qualitative disease resistance, quantitative disease resistance and susceptibility alleles. our descriptive framework demonstrates why alleles for quantitative resistance and susceptibility cannot be separated based on prevalence data alo ... | 2011 | 21733902 |
| color plumage polymorphism and predator mimicry in brood parasites. | plumage polymorphism may evolve during coevolution between brood parasites and their hosts if rare morph(s), by contravening host search image, evade host recognition systems better than common variant(s). females of the parasitic common cuckoo (cuculus canorus) are a classic example of discrete color polymorphism: gray females supposedly mimic the sparrowhawk (accipiter nisus), while rufous females are believed to mimic the kestrel (falco tinnunculus). despite many studies on host responses to ... | 2013 | 23663311 |
| seasonal rainfall at long-term migratory staging sites is associated with altered carry-over effects in a palearctic-african migratory bird. | an understanding of year-round habitat use is essential for determining how carry-over effects shape population dynamics in long-distance migratory songbirds. the recent discovery of long-term migratory staging sites in many species, prior to arrival at final wintering sites, adds complexity to efforts to decipher non-breeding habitat use and connections between sites. we investigated whether habitat conditions during migratory staging carry over to influence great reed warbler (acrocephalus aru ... | 2016 | 27716300 |
| dynamic egg color mimicry. | evolutionary hypotheses regarding the function of eggshell phenotypes, from solar protection through mimicry, have implicitly assumed that eggshell appearance remains static throughout the laying and incubation periods. however, recent research demonstrates that egg coloration changes over relatively short, biologically relevant timescales. here, we provide the first evidence that such changes impact brood parasite-host eggshell color mimicry during the incubation stage. first, we use long-term ... | 2016 | 27516874 |
| why do migratory birds sing on their tropical wintering grounds? | many long-distance migratory birds sing extensively on their tropical african wintering grounds, but the function of this costly behavior remains unknown. in this study, we carry out a first empirical test of three competing hypotheses, combining a field study of great reed warblers (acrocephalus arundinaceus) wintering in africa with a comparative analysis across palearctic-african migratory songbird species. we asked whether winter song (i) functions to defend nonbreeding territories, (ii) fun ... | 2016 | 26913952 |
| a new feather mite of the genus dolichodectes (astigmata: proctophyllodidae) from hippolais polyglotta (passeriformes: acrocephalidae) in spain. | a new feather mite species, dolichodectes hispanicus sp. n. (astigmata: proctophyllodidae), is described from the melodious warbler hippolais polyglotta (vieillot) (passeriformes: acrocephalidae) in spain. the new species is closest to the type species of the genus, d. edwardsi (trouessart, 1885) from the grear reed-warbler acrocephalus arundinaceus (linnaeus) (acrocephalidae). adults of d. hispanicus differ from those of d. edwardsi by dimensional characteristics, in particular, by having short ... | 2015 | 26130647 |
| experimental shifts in egg-nest contrasts do not alter egg rejection responses in an avian host-brood parasite system. | obligate brood parasitic birds exploit their hosts to provide care for unrelated young in the nest. potential hosts can reduce the cost of parasitism by rejecting foreign eggs from the nest. observational, comparative, and experimental studies have concluded that most hosts use the coloration and patterning of eggshells to discriminate between own and foreign eggs in the nest. however, an alternative hypothesis is that birds use the colour contrasts between eggshells and the nest lining to ident ... | 2015 | 26118673 |
| selection and evolutionary potential of spring arrival phenology in males and females of a migratory songbird. | the timing of annual life-history events affects survival and reproduction of all organisms. a changing environment can perturb phenological adaptations and an important question is if populations can evolve fast enough to track the environmental changes. yet, little is known about selection and evolutionary potential of traits determining the timing of crucial annual events. migratory species, which travel between different climatic regions, are particularly affected by global environmental cha ... | 2015 | 25847825 |
| continuous variation rather than specialization in the egg phenotypes of cuckoos (cuculus canorus) parasitizing two sympatric reed warbler species. | the evolution of brood parasitism has long attracted considerable attention among behavioural ecologists, especially in the common cuckoo system. common cuckoos (cuculus canorus) are obligatory brood parasites, laying eggs in nests of passerines and specializing on specific host species. specialized races of cuckoos are genetically distinct. often in a given area, cuckoos encounter multiple hosts showing substantial variation in egg morphology. exploiting different hosts should lead to egg-pheno ... | 2014 | 25180796 |
| naïve hosts of avian brood parasites accept foreign eggs, whereas older hosts fine-tune foreign egg discrimination during laying. | many potential hosts of social parasites recognize and reject foreign intruders, and reduce or altogether escape the negative impacts of parasitism. the ontogenetic basis of whether and how avian hosts recognize their own and the brood parasitic eggs remains unclear. by repeatedly parasitizing the same hosts with a consistent parasitic egg type, and contrasting the responses of naïve and older breeders, we studied ontogenetic plasticity in the rejection of foreign eggs by the great reed warbler ... | 2014 | 25024736 |
| ticks of the hyalomma marginatum complex transported by migratory birds into central europe. | hyalomma ticks are well-known vectors transmitting infectious agents, which can result in severe and potentially fatal diseases in humans. migratory birds may carry infected ticks over long distances. here, we report on records of ticks of the h. marginatum complex in birds from central europe during the spring migration in 2008-2012. a total of 1172 birds belonging to 32 species, 16 families, and 3 orders was examined for ticks. sixteen individuals of 6 passerine species were found to transport ... | 2014 | 24877976 |
| host genotype and age have no effect on rejection of parasitic eggs. | egg rejection belongs to a widely used host tactic to prevent the costs incurred by avian brood parasitism. however, the genetic basis of this behaviour and the effect of host age on the probability of rejecting the parasitic egg remain largely unknown. here, we used a set of 15 polymorphic microsatellite loci, including a previously detected candidate locus (ase64), to link genotypes of female great reed warblers (acrocephalus arundinaceus), a known rejecter, with their egg rejection responses ... | 2014 | 24718778 |
| intralocus sexual conflict over wing length in a wild migratory bird. | intralocus sexual conflict (isc) occurs when males and females have different adaptive peaks but are constrained from evolving sexual dimorphism because of shared genes. implications of this conflict on evolutionary dynamics in wild populations have not been investigated in detail. in comprehensive analyses of selection, heritability, and genetic correlations, we found evidence for an isc over wing length, a key trait for flight performance and migration, in a long-term study of wild great reed ... | 2014 | 24334736 |
| annual cycle and migration strategies of a trans-saharan migratory songbird: a geolocator study in the great reed warbler. | recent technological advancements now allow us to obtain geographical position data for a wide range of animal movements. here we used light-level geolocators to study the annual migration cycle in great reed warblers (acrocephalus arundinaceus), a passerine bird breeding in eurasia and wintering in sub-saharan africa. we were specifically interested in seasonal strategies in routes and schedules of migration. we found that the great reed warblers (all males, no females were included) migrated f ... | 2013 | 24205374 |
| primary peak and chronic malaria infection levels are correlated in experimentally infected great reed warblers. | malaria parasites often manage to maintain an infection for several months or years in their vertebrate hosts. in humans, rodents and birds, most of the fitness costs associated with malaria infections are in the short initial primary (high parasitaemia) phase of the infection, whereas the chronic phase (low parasitaemia) is more benign to the host. in wild birds, malaria parasites have mainly been studied during the chronic phase of the infection. this is because the initial primary phase of in ... | 2012 | 22716664 |
| competition with a host nestling for parental provisioning imposes recoverable costs on parasitic cuckoo chick's growth. | chicks of the brood parasitic common cuckoo (cuculus canorus) typically monopolize host parental care by evicting all eggs and nestmates from the nest. to assess the benefits of parasitic eviction behaviour throughout the full nestling period, we generated mixed broods of one cuckoo and one great reed warbler (acrocephalus arundinaceus) to study how hosts divide care between own and parasitic young. we also recorded parental provisioning behaviour at nests of singleton host nestlings or singleto ... | 2012 | 22521709 |
| hybridization but no evidence for backcrossing and introgression in a sympatric population of great reed warblers and clamorous reed warblers. | hybridization is observed frequently in birds, but often it is not known whether the hybrids are fertile and if backcrossing occurs. the breeding ranges of the great reed warbler (acrocephalus arundinaceus) and the clamorous reed warbler (a. stentoreus) overlap in southern kazakhstan and a previous study has documented hybridization in a sympatric population. in the present study, we first present a large set of novel microsatellite loci isolated and characterised in great reed warblers. secondl ... | 2012 | 22384052 |
| blue-green eggshell coloration is not a sexually selected signal of female quality in an open-nesting polygynous passerine. | it has been proposed that blue-green egg colours have evolved as a post-mating signal of female quality, selected by males allocating their parental effort in response to the strength of this signal. we tested two main assumptions of the sexually selected egg coloration hypothesis: (1) whether the intensity of eggshell blue-green chroma (bgc) reflects female quality; and (2) whether males make their decisions on the level of parental care that they provide according to the intensity of eggshell ... | 2011 | 21465173 |
| discordancy or template-based recognition? dissecting the cognitive basis of the rejection of foreign eggs in hosts of avian brood parasites. | many avian hosts have evolved antiparasite defence mechanisms, including egg rejection, to reduce the costs of brood parasitism. the two main alternative cognitive mechanisms of egg discrimination are thought to be based on the perceived discordancy of eggs in a clutch or the use of recognition templates by hosts. our experiments reveal that the great reed warbler (acrocephalus arundinaceus), a host of the common cuckoo (cuculus canorus), relies on both mechanisms. in support of the discordancy ... | 2010 | 20472785 |
| chick loss from mixed broods reflects severe nestmate competition between an evictor brood parasite and its hosts. | hatchlings of the obligate brood parasite common cuckoo cuculus canorus typically evict eggs and nestmates but, rarely, host and parasite nestlings may grow up together. as part of previous experiments, we manipulated host clutches by inducing two great reed warbler acrocephalus arundinaceus and one parasite young to share a nest from 4 days posthatch, when the cuckoo's eviction behaviour is thought to cease. we documented that in mixed broods typically at least one nestling eventually fell out ... | 2010 | 20117189 |
| egg eviction imposes a recoverable cost of virulence in chicks of a brood parasite. | chicks of virulent brood parasitic birds eliminate their nestmates and avoid costly competition for foster parental care. yet, efforts to evict nest contents by the blind and naked common cuckoo cuculus canorus hatchling are counterintuitive as both adult parasites and large older cuckoo chicks appear to be better suited to tossing the eggs and young of the foster parents. | 2009 | 19907639 |
| sex-specific defence behaviour against brood parasitism in a host with female-only incubation. | nest protection against intruders is an indispensable component of avian parental care. in species with biparental care, both mates should evolve nest defence behaviour to increase their reproductive success. in most host-parasite systems, host females are predicted to have more important roles in nest defence against brood parasites, because they typically are primarily responsible for clutch incubation. male antiparasitic behaviour, on the other hand, is often underestimated or even not consid ... | 2009 | 19154783 |
| isotope signatures in winter moulted feathers predict malaria prevalence in a breeding avian host. | it is widely accepted that animal distribution and migration strategy might have co-evolved in relation to selection pressures exerted by parasites. here, we first determined the prevalence and types of malaria blood parasites in a breeding population of great reed warblers acrocephalus arundinaceus using pcr. secondly, we tested for differences in individual feather stable isotope signatures (delta (13)c, delta (15)n, deltad and delta (34)s) to investigate whether malaria infected and non-infec ... | 2008 | 18810501 |
| postglacial colonisation patterns and the role of isolation and expansion in driving diversification in a passerine bird. | pleistocene glacial cycles play a major role in diversification and speciation, although the relative importance of isolation and expansion in driving diversification remains debated. we analysed mitochondrial dna sequence data from 15 great reed warbler (acrocephalus arundinaceus) populations distributed over the vast eurasian breeding range of the species, and revealed unexpected postglacial expansion patterns from two glacial refugia. there were 58 different haplotypes forming two major clade ... | 2008 | 18665223 |
| estimating heritabilities and genetic correlations: comparing the 'animal model' with parent-offspring regression using data from a natural population. | quantitative genetic parameters are nowadays more frequently estimated with restricted maximum likelihood using the 'animal model' than with traditional methods such as parent-offspring regressions. these methods have however rarely been evaluated using equivalent data sets. we compare heritabilities and genetic correlations from animal model and parent-offspring analyses, respectively, using data on eight morphological traits in the great reed warbler (acrocephalus arundinaceus). animal models ... | 2008 | 18320057 |
| linkage mapping of aflp markers in a wild population of great reed warblers: importance of heterozygosity and number of genotyped individuals. | amplified fragment length polymorphisms (aflp) are dominant markers frequently used to build linkage maps where heterozygosity could be inferred by a backcross breeding strategy. in the present study, we describe the utilization of an unmanipulated great reed warbler, acrocephalus arundinaceus pedigree to infer heterozygous genotypes of aflp markers in order to map these markers to a partial linkage map previously based on microsatellites. in total, 50 of the 83 autosomal aflps (60%) and 4 of 5 ... | 2007 | 17561884 |
| conflict between egg recognition and egg rejection decisions in common cuckoo (cuculus canorus) hosts. | common cuckoos (cuculus canorus) are obligate brood parasites, laying eggs into nests of small songbirds. the cuckoo hatchling evicts all eggs and young from a nest, eliminating hosts' breeding success. despite the consistently high costs of parasitism by common cuckoos, great reed warbler (acrocephalus arundinaceus) hosts sometime accept and other times reject parasitic eggs. to explore the cognitive basis of this seemingly maladaptive variation in host responses, we documented differences in e ... | 2007 | 17279422 |
| experimental shift in hosts' acceptance threshold of inaccurate-mimic brood parasite eggs. | hosts are expected to evolve resistance strategies that efficiently detect and resist exposure to virulent parasites and pathogens. when recognition is not error-proof, the acceptance threshold used by hosts to recognize parasites should be context dependent and become more restrictive with increasing predictability of parasitism. here, we demonstrate that decisions of great reed warblers acrocephalus arundinaceus to reject parasitism by the common cuckoo cuculus canorus vary adaptively within a ... | 2006 | 17148357 |
| partial albinism in a semi-isolated population of great reed warblers. | albinism in birds is thought to result from the expression of recessive alleles that disrupt melanin pigmentation at feather development. we have studied great reed warblers acrocephalus arundinaceus in a recently founded and increasing population in sweden during 15 years for the presence of birds with albinistic feathers. the study population was founded in 1978 and the few cases of albinism was exclusively recorded during the first five years of our study (1985-1989). this fits to the expecte ... | 2000 | 11338429 |
| nestling growth and song repertoire size in great reed warblers: evidence for song learning as an indicator mechanism in mate choice. | females of many songbird species show a preference for mating with males that have larger song repertoires, but the advantages associated with this preference are uncertain. we tested the hypothesis that song complexity can serve as an indicator of male quality because the development of the brain regions underlying song learning and production occurs when young birds typically face nutritional and other stresses, so that song reflects how well a male fared during post-hatch development. a key p ... | 2000 | 11133032 |
| [ectoparasites on birds (passeriformes, charadriiformes) migrating through the moravian gateway]. | the birds migrating through the entrance to the moravian gate were subjected to a three-year ectoparasitological study. the studied 24 bird species had three species of louse flies (diptera, hippoboscidae ), 31 species of biting lice (mallophaga), two species of fleas ( aphaniptera ) and one species of ticks (acarina, ixodidae). in czechoslovakia the biting lice quadraceps connexus were detected for the first time to be present on phalarope ( phalaropus lobatus ) and menacanthus sp. were found f ... | 1983 | 6426122 |
| [nest habitat quality evaluation for the oriental great reed warbler (acrocephalus orientalis) in baiyangdian wetland]. | the baiyangdian wetland natural reserve is an important breeding habitat for oriental great reed warbler (ogrws), acrocephalus orientalis, in north china plain. we investigated the nesting sites of ogrws by line transect method during june-july, 2011, and 112 nests were found out in total. the ecological-niche factor analysis (enfa) was applied in nesting habitat suitability assessment for ogrws in baiyangdian. the results showed that ogrws in this reserve preferred nesting in dry land reed land ... | 2014 | 25129952 |
| knemidocoptes sp. on wild passerines at the mai po nature reserve, hong kong. | free-ranging passerine birds banded at the mai po nature reserve, hong kong, were affected with a skin disease characterized by crusty, proliferative lesions on legs, feet and beaks. based on retrospective examination of 1990 to 1992 banding records, 83 of 16,353 birds and 5 of 161 species banded at mai po were identified as having these lesions. eurasian tree sparrows (passer montanus) were most commonly affected (58 of 411 birds) although 19 of 428 black-faced buntings (emberiza pusilla), 3 of ... | 1994 | 8028111 |
| brood parasites lay eggs matching the appearance of host clutches. | interspecific brood parasitism represents a prime example of the coevolutionary arms race where each party has evolved strategies in response to the other. here, we investigated whether common cuckoos (cuculus canorus) actively select nests within a host population to match the egg appearance of a particular host clutch. to achieve this goal, we quantified the degree of egg matching using the avian vision modelling approach. randomization tests revealed that cuckoo eggs in naturally parasitized ... | 2014 | 24258721 |
| maternal and genetic factors determine early life telomere length. | in a broad range of species--including humans--it has been demonstrated that telomere length declines throughout life and that it may be involved in cell and organismal senescence. this potential link to ageing and thus to fitness has triggered recent interest in understanding how variation in telomere length is inherited and maintained. however, previous studies suffer from two main drawbacks that limit the possibility of understanding the relative importance of genetic, parental and environmen ... | 2015 | 25621325 |
| chronic infection. hidden costs of infection: chronic malaria accelerates telomere degradation and senescence in wild birds. | recovery from infection is not always complete, and mild chronic infection may persist. although the direct costs of such infections are apparently small, the potential for any long-term effects on darwinian fitness is poorly understood. in a wild population of great reed warblers, we found that low-level chronic malaria infection reduced life span as well as the lifetime number and quality of offspring. these delayed fitness effects of malaria appear to be mediated by telomere degradation, a re ... | 2015 | 25613889 |
| correlations in the rhythmic organization of singing in the great reed warbler (acrocephalus andinaceus, sylviidae, aves). | | 2014 | 24659286 |
| in silico peptide-binding predictions of passerine mhc class i reveal similarities across distantly related species, suggesting convergence on the level of protein function. | the major histocompatibility complex (mhc) genes are the most polymorphic genes found in the vertebrate genome, and they encode proteins that play an essential role in the adaptive immune response. many songbirds (passerines) have been shown to have a large number of transcribed mhc class i genes compared to most mammals. to elucidate the reason for this large number of genes, we compared 14 mhc class i alleles (α1-α3 domains), from great reed warbler, house sparrow and tree sparrow, via phyloge ... | 2013 | 23358931 |
| do cuckoos choose nests of great reed warblers on the basis of host egg appearance? | prevailing theory assumes cuckoos lay at random among host nests within a population, although it has been suggested that cuckoos could choose large nests and relatively active pairs within host populations. we tested the hypothesis that egg matching could be improved by cuckoos choosing nests in which host eggs more closely match their own, by assessing matching and monitoring nest fate in great reed warblers naturally or experimentally parasitized by eggs of european cuckoos. a positive correl ... | 2007 | 17465931 |
| lifetime fitness of short- and long-distance dispersing great reed warblers. | dispersal is of prime importance for many evolutionary processes and has been studied for decades. the reproductive consequences of dispersal have proven difficult to study, simply because it is difficult to keep track of dispersing individuals. in most previous studies evaluating the fitness effects of dispersal, immigrants at a study locality have been lumped into one category and compared to philopatric individuals. this is unfortunate, because there are reasons to believe that immigrants wit ... | 2004 | 15612297 |
| no evidence of an mhc-based female mating preference in great reed warblers. | female mate-choice based on genetic compatibility is an area of growing interest. the major histocompatibility complex (mhc) genes are likely candidates for such mate-choice since these highly polymorphic genes may both increase offspring viability and also provide direct cues for mate-choice. in great reed warblers, females actively choose a breeding partner out of a handful of males that they visit and evaluate; thus, female preference for compatible or heterozygous mhc genes could have evolve ... | 2004 | 15245418 |
| mhc class i typing in a songbird with numerous loci and high polymorphism using motif-specific pcr and dgge. | the major histocompatibility complex (mhc) has a central role in the specific immune defence of vertebrates. exon 3 of mhc class i genes encodes the domain that binds and presents peptides from pathogens that trigger immune reactions. here we develop a fast population screening method for detecting genetic variation in the mhc class i genes of birds. we found evidence of at least 15 exon 3 sequences in the investigated great reed warbler individual. the organisation of the great reed warbler mhc ... | 2004 | 15162116 |
| between-year variation of mhc allele frequencies in great reed warblers: selection or drift? | the major histocompatibility complex (mhc) genes are extremely polymorphic and this variation is assumed to be maintained by balancing selection. cyclic interactions between pathogens and their hosts could generate such selection, and specific mhc alleles or heterozygosity at certain mhc loci have been shown to confer resistance against particular pathogens. here we compare the temporal variation in allele frequencies of 23 mhc class i alleles with that of 23 neutral microsatellite markers in ad ... | 2004 | 15149391 |
| mhc diversity in two acrocephalus species: the outbred great reed warbler and the inbred seychelles warbler. | the great reed warbler (grw) and the seychelles warbler (sw) are congeners with markedly different demographic histories. the grw is a normal outbred bird species while the sw population remains isolated and inbred after undergoing a severe population bottleneck. we examined variation at major histocompatibility complex (mhc) class i exon 3 using restriction fragment length polymorphism, denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis and dna sequencing. although genetic variation was higher in the grw, ... | 2003 | 14629367 |
| restricted dispersal in a long-distance migrant bird with patchy distribution, the great reed warbler. | in patchily distributed species dispersal connects local populations into metapopulations. reliable quantifications of dispersal are therefore crucial to understanding the population dynamics and genetic structure of such metapopulation systems. the great reed warbler (acrocephalus arundinaceus) inhabits eutrophic lakes and has a patchy breeding distribution. in this study we investigated the dispersal pattern of the great reed warbler based on an extensive capture-recapture effort covering a la ... | 2002 | 28547254 |
| higher fitness for philopatric than for immigrant males in a semi-isolated population of great reed warblers. | to compare the fitness of philopatric and immigrant individuals we examined the lifetime reproductive success of 116 male and 137 female great reed warblers. the study was carried out in a semi-isolated population in sweden and covered breeding adults hatched between 1985 and 1993. lifetime fitness, measured as life time number of fledglings and offspring recruits, was lower for immigrant than for philopatric males. we found no such relationships for females. the difference in reproductive succe ... | 1998 | 28565235 |
| infanticide in great reed warblers: secondary females destroy eggs of primary females | in 1994-1995 artificial nests with attached model eggs were put into territories that were known to have been occupied by male great reed warblers, acrocephalus arundinaceusin previous years. because the eggs were made of soft plasticine, predators left peckmarks in them and this enabled us to identify predators by comparing peckmarks with reference marks made by various species. previous field data had suggested that infanticidal behaviour existed in our study population, as nests of primary fe ... | 1997 | 9268460 |
| genetic similarity between parents predicts hatching failure: nonincestuous inbreeding in the great reed warbler? | the dna-fingerprinting technique was used to find the true pedigrees and to detect the overall genetic similarity between mates of great reed warblers (acrocephalus arundinaceus) at an isolated breeding site in sweden. the study covered 4 yr preceded by 3 yr when almost all adults and nestlings in the study area had been banded. dna fingerprinting revealed that the putative father had sired 97% of the young (n = 455). the mate's genetic similarity, revealed as the proportion of bands shared in r ... | 1994 | 28568307 |
| territorial spacing and interspecific competition in three species of reed warblers. | ecological and temporal aspects of the occurrence and dispersion patterns in three reed warbler species were examined. this provided insight into their intra-and interspecific territoriality. seasonal changes in the occurrence of territorial males in a reed bed along a gradient from the shore landward were studied. the results demonstrate that intra- and interspecific spacing depends on interspecific dominance and/or ecological constraints. in this case it was shown that there is competition for ... | 1991 | 28313275 |
| gut microbiota in a host-brood parasite system: insights from common cuckoos raised by two warbler species. | an animal's gut microbiota (gm) is shaped by a range of environmental factors affecting the bacterial sources invading the host. at the same time, animal hosts are equipped with intrinsic mechanisms enabling regulation of gm. however, there is limited knowledge on the relative importance of these forces. to assess the significance of host-intrinsic vs environmental factors, we studied gm in nestlings of an obligate brood parasite, the common cuckoo (cuculus canorus), raised by two foster species ... | 2020 | 32672792 |
| dynamics of prevalence and distribution pattern of avian plasmodium species and its vectors in diverse zoogeographical areas - a review. | avian plasmodium is of special interest to health care scientists and veterinarians due to the potency of causing avian malaria in non-adapted birds and their evolutionary phylogenetic relationship with human malaria species. this article aimed to provide a comprehensive list of the common avian plasmodium parasites in the birds and mosquitoes, to specify the common plasmodium species and lineages in the selected regions of west of asia, east of europe, and north of africa/middle east, and to de ... | 2020 | 32087345 |
| complete sporogony of the blood parasite haemoproteus nucleocondensus in common biting midges: why is its transmission interrupted in europe? | haemoproteus species (haemoproteidae) are widespread blood parasites and are transmitted by culicoides biting midges and hippoboscidae louse flies. although these pathogens may cause morbidity or mortality, the vectors and patterns of transmission remain unknown for the great majority of avian haemoproteids. haemoproteus nucleocondensus has been frequently reported in europe in great reed warblers acrocephalus arundinaceus after their arrival from african wintering grounds, but this infection ha ... | 2020 | 32048574 |
| host alarm calls attract the unwanted attention of the brood parasitic common cuckoo. | it is well known that avian brood parasites lay their eggs in the nests of other bird species, called hosts. it remains less clear, however, just how parasites are able to recognize their hosts and identify the exact location of the appropriate nests to lay their eggs in. while previous studies attributed high importance to visual signals in finding the hosts' nests (e.g. nest building activity or the distance and direct sight of the nest from vantage points used by the brood parasites), the rol ... | 2019 | 31811179 |
| anti-parasitic egg rejection by great reed warblers (acrocephalus arundinaceus) tracks differences along an eggshell color gradient. | one of the most effective defenses against avian brood parasitism is the rejection of the foreign egg from the host's nest. until recently, most studies have tested whether hosts discriminate between own and foreign eggs based on the absolute differences in avian-perceivable eggshell coloration and maculation. however, recent studies suggest that hosts may instead contrast egg appearances across a directional eggshell color gradient. we assessed which discrimination rule best explained egg rejec ... | 2019 | 31283976 |
| multiple parasitism reduces egg rejection in the host (acrocephalus arundinaceus) of a mimetic avian brood parasite (cuculus canorus). | a host that has been targeted by an avian brood parasite can recover most of its potential fitness loss by ejecting the foreign egg(s) from its nest. the propensity for some hosts to engage in egg rejection behavior has put selective pressure on their parasites to evolve mimetic eggshells resembling the host's own shell colors and maculation. in turn, hosts have counterevolved increasingly more sophisticated detection methods such as narrowing visual egg acceptance thresholds or using social cue ... | 2019 | 30667241 |
| miniaturized multi-sensor loggers provide new insight into year-round flight behaviour of small trans-sahara avian migrants. | over the past decade, the miniaturisation of animal borne tags such as geolocators and gps-transmitters has revolutionized our knowledge of the whereabouts of migratory species. novel light-weight multi-sensor loggers (1.4 g), which harbour sensors for measuring ambient light intensity, atmospheric pressure, temperature and acceleration, were fixed to two long-distance migrant bird species - eurasian hoopoe (upupa epops) and great reed warbler (acrocephalus arundinaceus). using acceleration and ... | 2018 | 30305904 |
| evidence for sexual conflict over major histocompatibility complex diversity in a wild songbird. | sex differences in parasite load and immune responses are found across a wide range of animals, with females generally having lower parasite loads and stronger immune responses than males. intrigued by these general patterns, we investigated if there was any sign of sex-specific selection on an essential component of adaptive immunity that is known to affect fitness, the major histocompatibility complex class i (mhc-i) genes, in a 20-year study of great reed warblers. our analyses on fitness rel ... | 2018 | 30068671 |
| influence of habitat suitability and sex-related detectability on density and population size estimates of habitat-specialist warblers. | knowledge about the population size and trends of common bird species is crucial for setting conservation priorities and management actions. multi-species large-scale monitoring schemes have often provided such estimates relying on extrapolation of relative abundances in particular habitats to large-scale areas. here we show an alternative to inference-rich predictive models, proposing methods to deal with caveats of population size estimations in habitat-specialist species, reed warblers (acroc ... | 2018 | 30059562 |
| stability of a behavioural syndrome vs. plasticity in individual behaviours over the breeding cycle: ultimate and proximate explanations. | animals often show correlated suites of consistent behavioural traits, i.e., personality or behavioural syndromes. does this conflict with potential phenotypic plasticity which should be adaptive for animals facing various contexts and situations? this fundamental question has been tested predominantly in studies which were done in non-breeding contexts and under laboratory conditions. therefore, in the present study we examined the temporal stability of behavioural correlations in a breeding co ... | 2018 | 29870797 |
| contrasting results from gwas and qtl mapping on wing length in great reed warblers. | a major goal in evolutionary biology is to understand the genetic basis of adaptive traits. in migratory birds, wing morphology is such a trait. our previous work on the great reed warbler (acrocephalus arundinaceus) shows that wing length is highly heritable and under sexually antagonistic selection. moreover, a quantitative trait locus (qtl) mapping analysis detected a pronounced qtl for wing length on chromosome 2, suggesting that wing morphology is partly controlled by genes with large effec ... | 2018 | 29658173 |
| intra-tropical movements as a beneficial strategy for palearctic migratory birds. | migratory birds often move significantly within their non-breeding range before returning to breed. it remains unresolved under which circumstances individuals relocate, whether movement patterns are consistent between populations and to what degree the individuals benefit from the intra-tropical movement (itm). we tracked adult great reed warblers acrocephalus arundinaceus from a central and a southeastern european breeding population, which either stay at a single non-breeding site, or show it ... | 2018 | 29410867 |
| low intensity blood parasite infections do not reduce the aerobic performance of migratory birds. | blood parasites (haemosporidia) are thought to impair the flight performance of infected animals, and therefore, infected birds are expected to differ from their non-infected counterparts in migratory capacity. since haemosporidians invade host erythrocytes, it is commonly assumed that infected individuals will have compromised aerobic capacity, but this has not been examined in free-living birds. we tested if haemosporidian infections affect aerobic performance by examining metabolic rates and ... | 2018 | 29386365 |
| common cuckoos (cuculus canorus) affect the bacterial diversity of the eggshells of their great reed warbler (acrocephalus arundinaceus) hosts. | the common cuckoo (cuculus canorus) is an avian brood parasite, laying its eggs in the nests of other bird species, where these hosts incubate the parasitic eggs, feed and rear the nestlings. the appearance of a cuckoo egg in a host nest may change the bacterial community in the nest. this may have consequences on the hatchability of host eggs, even when hosts reject the parasitic egg, typically within six days after parasitism. the present study revealed the bacterial community of cuckoo eggshe ... | 2018 | 29351548 |
| a spatiotemporal analysis of acoustic interactions between great reed warblers (acrocephalus arundinaceus) using microphone arrays and robot audition software hark. | acoustic interactions are important for understanding intra- and interspecific communication in songbird communities from the viewpoint of soundscape ecology. it has been suggested that birds may divide up sound space to increase communication efficiency in such a manner that they tend to avoid overlap with other birds when they sing. we are interested in clarifying the dynamics underlying the process as an example of complex systems based on short-term behavioral plasticity. however, it is very ... | 2018 | 29321916 |
| how to detect a cuckoo egg: a signal-detection theory model for recognition and learning. | this article presents a model of egg rejection in cases of brood parasitism. the model is developed in three stages in the framework of signal-detection theory. we first assume that the behavior of host females is adapted to the relevant parameters concerning the appearance of the eggs they lay. in the second stage, we consider the possibility that females make perceptual errors. in the final stage, females must learn to recognize their own eggs through an imprinting process. the model allows us ... | 1999 | 29585642 |