The relationship between defecation and feeding in nestling birds: observational and experimental evidence

CORC > 西双版纳热带植物园 > 中国科学院西双版纳热带植物园 > 2012年后新成立研究组

	The relationship between defecation and feeding in nestling birds: observational and experimental evidence
	Rui-chang Quan ; Huan Li ; Bo Wang ; Eben Goodale
刊名	Frontiers in Zoology
	2015
卷号	12 期号:21
中文摘要	Background Adult birds clean the nest by consuming or transporting feces, which is thought to be important in order to lower the levels of parasites, pathogens and predation at the nest. If nestlings were to defecate when parents were absent, however, feces could accumulate in the nest. Results To understand the mechanism by which nest sanitation is maintained, we studied the timing of defecation in nestling birds of common passerine species in southwest China. In 159 nests of 8 species at the nestling stage during 779 randomly timed observations, we never found fecal sacs present. Video recordings, totaling 455 h at five Pycnonotus jocosus nests in the field, showed almost all defecation after feedings, and only nestlings that were fed defecated. Six translocated P. jocosus nests were taken into captivity in order to manipulate the frequency of feeding. These nestlings defecated only after feeding, even when feeding intervals were extended to 60 and 120 min. The fecal sac weight also increased with extended feeding intervals, demonstrating a remarkable plasticity for nestlings to wait for feedings. Conclusion The evidence allows two major conclusions: 1) defecation in the nest occurs at a time that ensures nest sanitation, stimulated by feeding, rather than there being a set time of gut processing between feeding and excretion; 2) the strong plasticity in the timing of defecation and the possibility of negative repercussions (if defecation occurs when parents are absent) are important mechanisms underlying the efficiency of the feeding-defecation system.
公开日期	2016-11-03
内容类型	期刊论文
源URL	[http://ir.xtbg.org.cn/handle/353005/10069]
专题	西双版纳热带植物园_2012年后新成立研究组
推荐引用方式 GB/T 7714	Rui-chang Quan,Huan Li,Bo Wang,et al. The relationship between defecation and feeding in nestling birds: observational and experimental evidence[J]. Frontiers in Zoology,2015,12(21).
APA	Rui-chang Quan,Huan Li,Bo Wang,&Eben Goodale.(2015).The relationship between defecation and feeding in nestling birds: observational and experimental evidence.Frontiers in Zoology,12(21).
MLA	Rui-chang Quan,et al."The relationship between defecation and feeding in nestling birds: observational and experimental evidence".Frontiers in Zoology 12.21(2015).