Date: May 30, 2018
Source: University of Liverpool
A study led by the University of
Liverpool and the Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (CEH) has found that
parasites affect flight ability of wild seabirds, which may make it harder for
them to raise chicks.
The researchers studied a
population of European shags on the Isle of May National Nature Reserve,
Scotland and measured how parasites affect energy levels and behaviour of
individual birds, something which hasn't been done before in a wild population.
They used an endoscope to count
individual worms in the birds' stomachs and miniaturised electronic tags
recorded the movement and energy of the birds.
They then calculated the total
energy used on each day, and the energy used for flying, diving and resting.
Researchers found that the total
energy used per day did not depend on the amount of parasites, but females with
higher levels of parasites had more costly flight and spent less time flying
each day, presumably to avoid using too much energy.
Olivia Hicks, lead author of the
study and a PhD candidate with the University's School of Environmental
Sciences, said: "This is the first study to measure the impact of
parasites on individual birds in this way
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