Darwin's finches treat their feathers with a natural repellent

作者：Cimadom Arno; Causton Charlotte; Cha Dong H; Damiens David; Fessl Birgit; Hood Nowotny Rebecca; Lincango Piedad; Mieles Alejandro E; Nemeth Erwin; Semler Elizabeth M; Teale Stephen A; Tebbich Sabine

来源：Scientific Reports, 2016, 6(1): 34559.

DOI：10.1038/srep34559

<jats:title>Abstract</jats:title><jats:p>Darwin’s finches are highly innovative. Recently we recorded for the first time a behavioural innovation in Darwin’s finches outside the foraging context: individuals of four species rubbed leaves of the endemic tree <jats:italic>Psidium galapageium</jats:italic> on their feathers. We hypothesised that this behaviour serves to repel ectoparasites and tested the repellency of <jats:italic>P. galapageium</jats:italic> leaf extracts against parasites that negatively affect the fitness of Darwin’s finches, namely mosquitoes and the invasive hematophagous fly <jats:italic>Philornis downsi</jats:italic>. Mosquitoes transmit pathogens which have recently been introduced by humans and the larvae of the fly suck blood from nestlings and incubating females. Our experimental evidence demonstrates that <jats:italic>P. galapageium</jats:italic> leaf extracts repel both mosquitoes and adult <jats:italic>P. downsi</jats:italic> and also inhibit the growth of <jats:italic>P. downsi</jats:italic> larvae. It is therefore possible that finches use this plant to repel ectopoarasites.</jats:p>

• 出版日期2016-10-10