Meeting Abstract

P3.124  Thursday, Jan. 6  Correlations between nest microbiology, nestling health and hormones in the Eastern bluebird (Sialia sialis) JAYNE, M.K.*; COHEN, J.; GUINAN, J.; DAVIS, J.E.; Radford University; Radford University; Radford University; Radford University MJayne2@radford.edu

Bird nests are active habitats, serving not only as incubating “cradles” for eggs and nestlings, but also as home to a variety of microbial and arthropod commensals. Early interactions with microbes and arthropods may have a substantial impact on the overall health and eventual fledging success of nestlings. In this poster, we present data collected during the 2009 and 2010 breeding seasons. This is an ongoing study exploring correlations between microbial strains and arthropod species collected from nests and nestling health, as indicated by weight, blood plasma ratio and plasma corticosterone levels in the Eastern bluebird (Sialia sialis).