Meeting Abstract

S6.7  Wednesday, Jan. 5  How microbes shape birds and their eggs: matching pathogen pressure and protection TIELEMAN, BI*; HORROCKS, NPC; MATSON, KD; GRIZARD, S; SALLES, JF; University of Groningen B.I.Tieleman@rug.nl

Birds and eggs need to protect themselves from pathogenic influences, but may also benefit from the microbial communities that they house. We explore the idea that environmental conditions shape variation in microbial communities and thereby have evolutionary consequences for the protective systems of birds against pathogens. First, using the egg-nest dyad as a model system, we investigate the association between the microbial communities provided by the nest environment, including the incubating parent, and the concurrent antimicrobial defenses of eggs. We will present results of eggs of wild birds across a range of environmental conditions, on a global and a local geographical scale. Second, the egg-nest unit and environmental samples convey information about the environmental microbial pressure experienced by adult birds as well. We relate this knowledge to the immune defenses of birds in different environments. Specifically, we studied different species of larks (Alaudidae) living in four dissimilar habitats (Saudi Arabian desert, high altitude Afghanistan, lowland temperate Netherlands, tropical Kenya). We analysed plasma samples to measure indices of immune function. The combination of the studies on eggs and adult birds provide insights into how environmental pathogen pressure and avian immune defenses interact and vary across space and time.