Journal article
Use of anthropogenic-related nest material and nest parasite prevalence have increased over the past two centuries in Australian birds
Oecologia, Vol.196, pp.1207-1217
2021
Abstract
Global plastic production has increased exponentially since the 1940s, resulting in the increased presence of anthropogenic debris in the environment. Recent studies have shown that birds incorporate anthropogenic debris into their nests, which can reduce nest ectoparasite loads. However, we know little about the long-term history of interactions among birds, anthropogenic debris, and ectoparasites. Our study took a unique approach to address this issue by determining the prevalence of anthropogenic debris and ectoparasitic nest flies (Protocalliphora and Passeromyia spp.) in 893 bird nests from 224 species between 1832 and 2018, which were sourced from Australian museum collections. The prevalence of anthropogenic material increased from approximately 4% in 1832 to almost 30% in 2018. This change was driven by an increase in the incorporation of synthetic rather than biodegradable anthropogenic debris (by 2018 ~ 25% of all nests contained synthetics), with the first synthetic item being found in a nest from 1956 in the city of Melbourne. Nest parasite prevalence increased over time but contrary to other studies, there was no relationship between habitat type or anthropogenic material and parasite presence. Our study is the first to use museum specimens to quantify temporal and spatial impacts of anthropogenic material on birds, the results of which justifies contemporary concerns regarding the ubiquitous nature of human impacts on terrestrial wildlife.
Details
- Title
- Use of anthropogenic-related nest material and nest parasite prevalence have increased over the past two centuries in Australian birds
- Authors
- Dominique A Potvin (Corresponding Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, School of Science, Technology and EngineeringFabiola Opitz (Author) - Justus-Liebig-UniversityKathy A Townsend (Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, School of Science, Technology and EngineeringSarah A Knutie (Author) - University of Connecticut
- Publication details
- Oecologia, Vol.196, pp.1207-1217
- Audience
- Academic
- Publisher
- Springer
- DOI
- 10.1007/s00442-021-04982-z
- ISSN
- 1432-1939
- Organisation Unit
- School of Science, Technology and Engineering; University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland
- Language
- English
- Record Identifier
- 99565708602621
- Output Type
- Journal article
Metrics
26 Record Views
InCites Highlights
These are selected metrics from InCites Benchmarking & Analytics tool, related to this output
- Collaboration types
- Domestic collaboration
- International collaboration
- Web Of Science research areas
- Ecology
UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
This output has contributed to the advancement of the following goals:
Source: InCites