Malarial infection alters wax ester composition of preen oil in songbirds: Results of an experimental study

Abstract

ABSTRACT Increased exposure to parasites and other pathogens is one of the principal costs of group living, and animals have evolved diverse behavioral adaptations to detect and avoid parasitized conspecifics. In mammals, it is well established that parasitic infection can affect host body odor and that individuals use this chemical information in mate choice and other social contexts. In birds, despite intense interest in condition-dependent sexually selected displays as indicators of health status, chemical signaling of infection status remains largely unexplored. However, compounds in feather preen oil are increasingly recognized as candidate substances that may mediate chemical signaling in birds. We inoculated Song Sparrows (Melospiza melodia) with hemosporidian parasites (Plasmodium sp.) to determine whether parasitic infection alters the chemical composition of preen oil. We used gas chromatography with flame ionization detection (GC-FID) to separate and quantify the wax esters in preen oil and com...