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Incorporation of cigarette butts into nests reduces nest ectoparasite load in urban birds: new ingredients for an old recipe?

dc.contributor.authorRodríguez Suárez, Montserrat
dc.contributor.authorLópez-Rull, Isabel
dc.contributor.authorMacias Garcia, Constantino
dc.date.accessioned2024-01-29T09:19:14Z
dc.date.available2024-01-29T09:19:14Z
dc.date.issued2013
dc.identifier.citationRodríguez-Suárez M., López-Rull, I. and Macías-García C. 2013. Incorporation of cigarette butts into nests reduces nest ectoparasite load in urban birds: new ingredients for an old recipe? Biology Letters 9:20120931es
dc.identifier.issn1744-9561
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/10115/29133
dc.description.abstractBirds are known to respond to nest-dwelling parasites by altering beha-viours. Some bird species, for example, bring fresh plants to the nest,which contain volatile compounds that repel parasites. There is evidencethat some birds living in cities incorporate cigarette butts into their nests,but the effect (if any) of this behaviour remains unclear. Butts fromsmoked cigarettes retain substantial amounts of nicotine and other com-pounds that may also act as arthropod repellents. We provide the firstevidence that smoked cigarette butts may function as a parasite repellentin urban bird nests. The amount of cellulose acetate from butts in nests oftwo widely distributed urban birds was negatively associated with thenumber of nest-dwelling parasites. Moreover, when parasites were attractedto heat traps containing smoked or non-smoked cigarette butts, fewer para-sites reached the former, presumably due to the presence of nicotine.Because urbanization changes the abundance and type of resources uponwhich birds depend, including nesting materials and plants involved inself-medication, our results are consistent with the view that urbanizationimposes new challenges on birds that are dealt with using adaptationsevolved elsewhere.es
dc.language.isoenges
dc.publisherThe Royal Societyes
dc.subjecturban birdses
dc.subjectnicotinees
dc.subjectantiparasite defencees
dc.subjectnest parasiteses
dc.subjectself-medicationes
dc.titleIncorporation of cigarette butts into nests reduces nest ectoparasite load in urban birds: new ingredients for an old recipe?es
dc.typeinfo:eu-repo/semantics/articlees
dc.identifier.doi10.1098/rsbl.2012.0931es
dc.rights.accessRightsinfo:eu-repo/semantics/restrictedAccesses


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