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Full-Text Articles in Ornithology
Olfactory Discrimination Of Plant Volatiles By The European Starling, Larry Clark, J Russell Mason
Olfactory Discrimination Of Plant Volatiles By The European Starling, Larry Clark, J Russell Mason
Larry Clark
Passerine species that re-use nest sites often incorporate fresh green vegetation into their nests, a behaviour consistent with the possibility that some birds may use chemical properties of plants to counteract the selective potential of parasites and pathogens. We tested adult starlings (Sturnus vulgaris) for their physiological capacity and behavioural ability to detect and discriminate between volatiles emitted from plant material. Multi-unit electrophysiological recordings from olfactory nerves of adults indicated that strong responses were reliably elicited by volatiles from six plant species. After pairings of plant volatiles with gastro-intestinal malaise, birds exhibited conditioned avoidance in behavioural experiments, and made all …
Use Of Nest Material As Insecticidal And Anti-Pathogenic Agents By The European Starling, Larry Clark, J Russell Mason
Use Of Nest Material As Insecticidal And Anti-Pathogenic Agents By The European Starling, Larry Clark, J Russell Mason
Larry Clark
Passerine birds that reuse nest sites face an increased parasite and pathogen load. They also are more likely to use fresh green vegetation during nest construction. The present results demonstrate that at least one passerine, the European Starling: (a) selects a small subset of available plant species for inclusion in nest material; and (b) chooses plants whose volatiles are more likely to inhibit arthropod hatching and bacterial growth relative to a random subset of available vegetation. The results also show that preferred plants possess greater numbers of mono- and sesqueterpenes at higher concentrations relative to a random subset of available …