@article{9f82fd6a8496414595f8c63152d3d415,
title = "Feather mites play a role in cleaning host feathers: New insights from DNA metabarcoding and microscopy",
abstract = "Parasites and other symbionts are crucial components of ecosystems, regulating host populations and supporting food webs. However, most symbiont systems, especially those involving commensals and mutualists, are relatively poorly understood. In this study, we have investigated the nature of the symbiotic relationship between birds and their most abundant and diverse ectosymbionts: the vane-dwelling feather mites. For this purpose, we studied the diet of feather mites using two complementary methods. First, we used light microscopy to examine the gut contents of 1,300 individual feather mites representing 100 mite genera (18 families) from 190 bird species belonging to 72 families and 19 orders. Second, we used high-throughput sequencing (HTS) and DNA metabarcoding to determine gut contents from 1,833 individual mites of 18 species inhabiting 18 bird species. Results showed fungi and potentially bacteria as the main food resources for feather mites (apart from potential bird uropygial gland oil). Diatoms and plant matter appeared as rare food resources for feather mites. Importantly, we did not find any evidence of feather mites feeding upon bird resources (e.g., blood, skin) other than potentially uropygial gland oil. In addition, we found a high prevalence of both keratinophilic and pathogenic fungal taxa in the feather mite species examined. Altogether, our results shed light on the long-standing question of the nature of the relationship between birds and their vane-dwelling feather mites, supporting previous evidence for a commensalistic–mutualistic role of feather mites, which are revealed as likely fungivore–microbivore–detritivore symbionts of bird feathers.",
keywords = "DNA metabarcoding, bacteria, birds, diet, ecological interactions, feather mites, fungi, high-throughput sequencing, interactions, symbionts",
author = "Jorge Do{\~n}a and Heather Proctor and David Serrano and Johnson, {Kevin P.} and Oploo, {Arnika Oddy van} and Huguet-Tapia, {Jose C.} and Ascunce, {Marina S.} and Roger Jovani",
note = "Funding was provided by the Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (Ram?n y Cajal research contract RYC-2009-03967 to RJ, research project CGL2011-24466 to RJ, and CGL2015-69650-P to RJ and DS) and by a Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) Undergraduate Student Research Award to AO and HP. Also, by ?A first look into feather mites diet selection and endosymbiotic community: a metabarcoding approach? project funded by the internal EBD proposal call ?Microproyectos? financed by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness, through the Severo Ochoa Program for Centres of Excellence in R+D+I (SEV-2012-0262). JD was supported by the Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (Severo Ochoa predoctoral contract SVP-2013-067939 and by a short stay abroad fellowship). We thank Toby Spribille from the University of Alberta for help with categorizing fungal material, and many collectors of feather mite specimens from around the world, in particular Sarah Bush and Dale Clayton (University of Utah). Special thanks to three anonymous reviewers for their constructive comments and taxonomic corrections. Funding was provided by the Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (Ramon y Cajal research contract RYC-2009-03967 to RJ, research project CGL2011-24466 to RJ, and CGL2015-69650-P to RJ and DS) and by a Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) Undergraduate Student Research Award to AO and HP. Also, by \u201CA first look into feather mites diet selection and endosymbiotic community: a metabarcoding approach\u201D project funded by the internal EBD proposal call \u201CMicroproyectos\u201D financed by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness, through the Severo Ochoa Program for Centres of Excellence in R+D+I (SEV-2012-0262). JD was supported by the Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (Severo Ochoa predoctoral contract SVP-2013-067939 and by a short stay abroad fellowship). We thank Toby Spri-bille from the University of Alberta for help with categorizing fungal material, and many collectors of feather mite specimens from around the world, in particular Sarah Bush and Dale Clayton (University of Utah). Special thanks to three anonymous reviewers for their constructive comments and taxonomic corrections. Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness, Grant/Award Number: RYC-2009-03967, CGL2011-24466, CGL2015-69650-P, SVP-2013-067939; Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC); Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness, through the Severo Ochoa Program for Centres of Excellence in R+D+I, Grant/Award Number: SEV-2012-0262",
year = "2019",
month = jan,
doi = "10.1111/mec.14581",
language = "English (US)",
volume = "28",
pages = "203--218",
journal = "Molecular ecology",
issn = "0962-1083",
publisher = "Wiley-Blackwell",
number = "2",
}