| Title |
Do secretions from the uropygial gland of birds attract biting midges and black flies?
|
|---|---|
| Published in |
Parasitology Research, May 2011
|
| DOI | 10.1007/s00436-011-2436-y |
| Pubmed ID | |
| Authors |
Josué Martínez-de la Puente, Juan Rivero-de Aguilar, Sara del Cerro, Anastasio Argüello, Santiago Merino |
| Abstract |
Bird susceptibility to attacks by blood-sucking flying insects could be influenced by urogypial gland secretions. To determine the effect of these secretions on biting midges and black flies, we set up a series of tests. First, we placed uropygial gland secretions from blue tit Cyanistes caeruleus broods inside empty nest boxes while empty nest boxes without gland secretions were treated as controls. Blue tit broods, from which we had obtained uropygial secretions, were affected by biting midges and black flies. However, these insects were absent in nest boxes both with and without secretions from nestlings' uropygial glands. We subsequently tested for the effects of uropygial gland secretions from feral pigeons Columba livia monitoring the number of biting midges captured using miniature CDC traps. There was no significant difference in the number of biting midges captured. Overall, our results did not support a potential role of avian uropygial gland secretions in attracting biting midges and black flies. |
Mendeley readers
The data shown below were compiled from readership statistics for 44 Mendeley readers of this research output. Click here to see the associated Mendeley record.
Geographical breakdown
| Country | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Spain | 2 | 5% |
| Lithuania | 1 | 2% |
| Unknown | 41 | 93% |
Demographic breakdown
| Readers by professional status | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Researcher | 12 | 27% |
| Student > Ph. D. Student | 10 | 23% |
| Student > Bachelor | 3 | 7% |
| Student > Doctoral Student | 3 | 7% |
| Other | 3 | 7% |
| Other | 6 | 14% |
| Unknown | 7 | 16% |
| Readers by discipline | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Agricultural and Biological Sciences | 24 | 55% |
| Environmental Science | 3 | 7% |
| Veterinary Science and Veterinary Medicine | 2 | 5% |
| Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology | 2 | 5% |
| Economics, Econometrics and Finance | 1 | 2% |
| Other | 2 | 5% |
| Unknown | 10 | 23% |
Attention Score in Context
This research output has an Altmetric Attention Score of 3. This is our high-level measure of the quality and quantity of online attention that it has received. This Attention Score, as well as the ranking and number of research outputs shown below, was calculated when the research output was last mentioned on 12 July 2023.
All research outputs
#7,453,479
of 22,786,691 outputs
Outputs from Parasitology Research
#621
of 3,782 outputs
Outputs of similar age
#41,060
of 112,199 outputs
Outputs of similar age from Parasitology Research
#5
of 30 outputs
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