- Michigan State University
1441 Biomedical and Physical Sciences
East Lansing, MI 48824 - 517-884-2561
- Chemical Communication, Birds (Ecology), Mate Choice, Ornithology, Monogamy, Pheromones, and 15 moreZoology, Animal Behavior, Evolution, Reproductive Behaviour, Reproductive endocrinology, Communication, Evolutionary Biology, Primatology, Southeast Asia, Conservation Genetics, Olfaction, Conservation Biology, Ecology, Endocrinology, and Behavioral Ecologyedit
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Large foraging seabirds are known to navigate to food sources using their excellent sense of smell, but much less is known about the use of olfaction by the songbirds (passerine birds). Some evidence of individual recognition based on the... more
Large foraging seabirds are known to navigate to food sources using their excellent sense of smell, but much less is known about the use of olfaction by the songbirds (passerine birds). Some evidence of individual recognition based on the bird preen oil volatile organic compound (VOC) compositions, which is the main odor source in birds, have been reported for dark-eyed junco and house finch. In this study we have investigated preen oil VOCs in 16 different songbird species and two other small bird species in order to determine whether the VOC compositions follow phylogenetic and evolutionary relatedness. We have used the stir bar sorptive extraction (SBSE) methodology followed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) to determine preen oil VOCs during the long light summer conditions for mostly wild caught birds. Large diversity among the VOC compositions was observed, while some compound classes were found in almost all species. The divergent VOC profiles did not follow the phylogenetic family lines among the bird species. This suggests that songbirds may use VOC odors as a mate recognition cue.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Background Though genomic-level data are becoming widely available, many of the metazoan species sequenced are laboratory systems whose natural history is not well documented. In contrast, the wide array of species with very... more
Background Though genomic-level data are becoming widely available, many of the metazoan species sequenced are laboratory systems whose natural history is not well documented. In contrast, the wide array of species with very well-characterized natural history have, until recently, lacked genomics tools.
Several studies have suggested a greater role for olfactory cues in avian social interactions than previously recognized, but few have explicitly investigated the effect of odor on parental behavior. We present results from a preliminary... more
Several studies have suggested a greater role for olfactory cues in avian social interactions than previously recognized, but few have explicitly investigated the effect of odor on parental behavior. We present results from a preliminary study in which we applied hetero-and conspecific preen gland secretions, which are known to contain volatile compounds, to the nests and eggs of incubating female dark-eyed juncos Junco hyemalis.
A “DNA barcode” is a locus at which conspecifics show a consistent level of sequence variation that is much lower than that found among species, and therefore could be useful for species identification (Hebert et al. 2003; Hebert et al.... more
A “DNA barcode” is a locus at which conspecifics show a consistent level of sequence variation that is much lower than that found among species, and therefore could be useful for species identification (Hebert et al. 2003; Hebert et al. 2004). The COI locus has been suggested to be such a barcode, but critics have commented that closely related sister taxa have not been adequately sampled to show whether this locus can be used to differentiate species that may have diverged recently or very quickly (Moritz and Cicero 2004).
We examined variation at MHC Class IIB genes in a recently established population of dark-eyed juncos (Junco hyemalis) in a coastal urban environment in southern California, USA relative to an ancestral-range population from a nearby... more
We examined variation at MHC Class IIB genes in a recently established population of dark-eyed juncos (Junco hyemalis) in a coastal urban environment in southern California, USA relative to an ancestral-range population from a nearby species-typical montane environment. The founding population is estimated to have been quite small, but we predicted that variation at the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) among the founders would nevertheless be preserved owing to the high functional significance of MHC. Previous studies of MHC in songbirds have had varying degrees of success in isolating loci, as passerines show extensive MHC gene duplication. In order to compare diversity in the two populations, we employed two published approaches to sequencing MHC Class II exon 2: direct sequencing with exon-based primers, and traditional cloning and sequencing with intron-based primers. Results from both methods show that the colonist population has maintained high levels of variation. Our results also indicate varying numbers of alleles across individuals, corroborating evidence for gene duplication in songbird MHC. While future studies in songbirds may need to take a genomic approach to fully understand the structure of MHC in this lineage, our results show that it is possible to use traditional methods to reveal functional variation across populations.
Songbird preen oil contains volatile and semivolatile compounds that may contain information about species, sex, individual identity, and season. We examined the relationship between testosterone (T) and the concentration of preen oil... more
Songbird preen oil contains volatile and semivolatile compounds that may contain information about species, sex, individual identity, and season. We examined the relationship between testosterone (T) and the concentration of preen oil volatile and semivolatile compounds in wild and captive dark-eyed juncos (Junco hyemalis). In wild males and females, we observed an increase in volatile compound concentration early in the breeding season. This increase mirrored previously described seasonal elevation in T levels in wild males and females, suggesting a positive relationship between hormone levels and preen gland secretions and a possible role for those secretions in signaling receptivity. In females, the highest concentrations of most compounds were observed close to egg laying, a time when steroid hormones are high and also the only time that females respond to an injection of gonadotropin-releasing hormone with a short-term increase in T. In a study of captive juncos held on short days, we asked whether the seasonal increases observed in the wild could be induced with experimental elevation of T alone. We found that exogenous T stimulated the production of some volatile compounds in non-breeding individuals of both sexes. However, of the 15 compounds known to increase significantly during the breeding season, only four showed a significant increase in concentration in birds that received T implants. Our results suggest that testosterone levels likely interact with other seasonally-induced physiological changes to affect volatile compound concentrations in preen oil.
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Most birds possess a uropygial gland that produces a secretion, preen oil, that contains volatile compounds that may transmit information about individual attributes. However, the ability of passerine songbirds to discriminate among the... more
Most birds possess a uropygial gland that produces a secretion, preen oil, that contains volatile compounds that may transmit
information about individual attributes. However, the ability of passerine songbirds to discriminate among the odors of different
individuals has not yet been demonstrated. We tested whether dark-eyed juncos (Junco hyemalis) could discriminate among preen oil odors from 1) conspecifics and heterospecifics; 2) male and female conspecifics; 3) conspecifics from same or different population or subspecies; and 4) males with large or small plumage ornaments. Our evidence suggests that juncos can discriminate between the odor of conspecifics and heterospecifics. In 2-way choice tests between conspecific odors, both males and females spent more time
with male preen oil. Subjects did not discriminate between odors of individuals from their own population or a different one, and no relationship was found between choice and plumage ornaments. Unexpectedly, females spent more time with the odor of males with smaller body size, regardless of population of origin. This result was especially surprising because an analysis of preen oil volatile compounds revealed that the odors of smaller males were less ‘‘male-like’’ than the odors of larger males. We conclude that songbirds are able to detect odors from preen oil as shown by their ability to distinguish odors arising from males and females. They may also be able to distinguish among individuals of varying body size. Key words: birds, chemical communication, mate choice,
odor preference, olfaction, passerines, preen oil, Y-maze.
information about individual attributes. However, the ability of passerine songbirds to discriminate among the odors of different
individuals has not yet been demonstrated. We tested whether dark-eyed juncos (Junco hyemalis) could discriminate among preen oil odors from 1) conspecifics and heterospecifics; 2) male and female conspecifics; 3) conspecifics from same or different population or subspecies; and 4) males with large or small plumage ornaments. Our evidence suggests that juncos can discriminate between the odor of conspecifics and heterospecifics. In 2-way choice tests between conspecific odors, both males and females spent more time
with male preen oil. Subjects did not discriminate between odors of individuals from their own population or a different one, and no relationship was found between choice and plumage ornaments. Unexpectedly, females spent more time with the odor of males with smaller body size, regardless of population of origin. This result was especially surprising because an analysis of preen oil volatile compounds revealed that the odors of smaller males were less ‘‘male-like’’ than the odors of larger males. We conclude that songbirds are able to detect odors from preen oil as shown by their ability to distinguish odors arising from males and females. They may also be able to distinguish among individuals of varying body size. Key words: birds, chemical communication, mate choice,
odor preference, olfaction, passerines, preen oil, Y-maze.