Meeting Abstract
Birds choose nest locations and construct nests out of varying materials for a variety of reasons, potentially including control of the microbial environment. Several studies have demonstrated that specific nesting materials may have antimicrobial properties, but the influence of nesting materials, nest location, and species influences on microbial populations remains relatively under-explored. In this study, bacterial samples were collected from bird boxes in southeastern Virginia in late summer, while recording various environmental features (orientation, age, construction materials, nest materials and type, and plants in the surrounding habitat). Bacterial samples were stored and analyzed using ethanol extraction and terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism (T-RFLP) assay to identify various microbial communities in relation to nesting materials. Here we describe our results, highlighting correlations between bacterial populations and features of the nest itself.
