Gut bacteria can mean life or death for birds

Date:  March 22, 2018

Source:  Lund University

Summary:

In her upcoming thesis at Lund University in Sweden, biologist Elin Videvall shows that the composition of gut bacteria in birds has a major impact on whether their offspring will survive their first three months.

"My findings could be important for increasing survival rates," she says.

Microorganisms such as bacteria, viruses and fungi can cause diseases, but they can also promote health, affect growth and the ability to reproduce. Until now, there has not been a lot of research on how microorganisms interact with, and affect, birds.

Elin Videvall, biologist at Lund University, is surprised by the results she achieved in her thesis, in which she studied different birds, including ostriches.

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Vultures evolved an extreme gut to cope with disgusting dietary habits

Date:

November 25, 2014

Source:

Faculty of Science - University of Copenhagen

Summary:

How is it that vultures can live on a diet of carrion that would at least lead to severe food-poisoning, and more likely kill most other animals? This is the key question behind a recent collaboration between a team of international researchers from Denmark's Centre for GeoGenetics and Biological Institute at the University of Copenhagen, Aarhus University, the Technical University of Denmark, Copenhagen Zoo and the Smithsonian Institution in the USA. An "acidic" answer to this question is now published in the scientific journal Nature Communications.

Continued ...

The Scoop On Bird Poop: Evolving Diversity of Microbial Life in Bird Guts

May 31, 2013 — Gut bacteria are known to have a central role both in human and in animal health. Animals acquire different bacteria as they age but how the microbial communities in the bodies of wild animals change over time is not well understood. Wouter van Dongen and colleagues at the Vetmeduni Vienna have examined the gastrointestinal bacteria of chick and adult black-legged kittiwakes. Surprisingly, the microbial assemblages of chicks and adults generally differ greatly, with only a few types of bacteria in common.

The findings have recently been published in the journal BMC Ecology.

Gastrointestinal bacteria are important for digestion, immune functions and general health. Wouter van Dongen and colleagues from the Konrad Lorenz Institute of Ethology of the Vetmeduni Vienna have collaborated with scientists from the Laboratoire Évolution & Diversité Biologique (EDB), Toulouse and from the US Geological Survey, Anchorage to study the cloacal bacterial assemblies of black-legged kittiwakes (Rissa tridactyla). The bacteria in the cloaca are known to be similar to assemblages deeper within the gastrointestinal tract, so the researchers examined samples from the cloaca of birds at different ages to look indirectly at gut bacteria.

Flushing bacteria

To obtain bacterial samples, the researchers "flushed" the birds' cloacae by gently infusing a salt solution into the cloacae and collecting the liquid. The bacterial diversity in the cloaca of each bird could be estimated with the aid of molecular genetic techniques. The scientists were able to identify different bacterial assemblages and thus to draw a clear picture of how bacterial communities in bird guts change as the birds age.

Continued