Date: April 25, 2019
Source: University of Connecticut
In the
Galapagos Islands, Darwin's finches drawn to junk food are experiencing changes
in their gut microbiota and their body mass as compared to finches that don't
encounter human food, according to a new University of Connecticut study.
The study
of Darwin's Finches, published today in Molecular Ecology, builds upon a
study on the effects of human activity on finch diet in the same location, says
Sarah Knutie, assistant professor of ecology and evolutionary biology at UConn.
Researchers
studied fecal samples and body mass data from female finches, who are the main
caretakers for nestlings, or baby birds. They collected the fecal samples from
birds in urban areas, where they would encounter human food, and in rural
areas, where they were less likely to encounter human food, and used those to
characterize the birds' gut microbiota.
Previous
studies have shown that finch populations living near humans recognized human
food as food, whereas the finches living in areas with less human activity
don't recognize human food as something they can eat.
In total,
researchers studied close to 100 finches, focusing on breeding female small
ground finches (Geospiza fuliginosa)
and medium ground finches (Geospiza
fortis) in March 2016 on the eastern coast of Santa Cruz Island, Galapagos
Islands, Ecuador.
No comments:
Post a Comment