ArticleBMC ecology2013
Age-related differences in the cloacal microbiota of a wild bird species.
Article in BMC ecology, 2013. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 78 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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Who cites it
78 citing papers in PubMed.
- Environmental factors associated with nesting habits and age shape the composition and connection between skin and uropygial gland microbiomes of birds.The Journal of animal ecology · 2026Article
- Comparative characterization of oral and cloacal microbiomes in captive adult and juvenile coconut lorikeets (Veterinary world · 2026Article
- Early-life gut microbiota differentiation in sympatric wild raptors.Scientific reports · 2026Article
- Dynamics of Gut Microbiota in Japanese Tits (Microorganisms · 2025Article
- Exploring Bird Gut Microbiota Through Opportunistic Fecal Sampling: Ecological and Evolutionary Perspectives.Ecology and evolution · 2025Article
- Adaptive characteristics of the gut microbiota of the scaly-sided merganser (Frontiers in microbiology · 2025Article
- Bacterial assemblages on eggs reflect nesting strategies in wetland-associated birds.PloS one · 2025Article
- The gut microbiota of three avian species living in sympatry.BMC ecology and evolution · 2024Article
- Early-life factors shaping the gut microbiota of Common buzzard nestlings.Animal microbiome · 2024Article
- Stopover habitat selection drives variation in the gut microbiome composition and pathogen acquisition by migrating shorebirds.FEMS microbiology ecology · 2024Article
- Gut microbiome in two high-altitude bird populations showed heterogeneity in sex and life stage.FEMS microbes · 2024Article
- The impact of management on the fecal microbiome of endangered greater sage-grouse (Conservation physiology · 2024Article
- No evidence for associations between brood size, gut microbiome diversity and survival in great tit (Parus major) nestlings.Animal microbiome · 2023Article
- Microbial diversity and metabolic function in duodenum, jejunum and ileum of emu (Dromaius novaehollandiae).Scientific reports · 2023Article
- Impact of host age on viral and bacterial communities in a waterbird population.The ISME journal · 2023Article
- Article
- Gut microbiota variation between climatic zones and due to migration strategy in passerine birds.Frontiers in microbiology · 2023Article
- Timing matters: age-dependent impacts of the social environment and host selection on the avian gut microbiota.Microbiome · 2022Article
- Delayed access to feed early post-hatch affects the development and maturation of gastrointestinal tract microbiota in broiler chickens.BMC microbiology · 2022Article
- The avian gut microbiota: Diversity, influencing factors, and future directions.Frontiers in microbiology · 2022Review
18 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
10 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundGastrointestinal bacteria play a central role in the health of animals. The bacteria that individuals acquire as they age may therefore have profound consequences for their future fitness. However, changes in microbial community structure with host age remain poorly understood. We characterised the cloacal bacteria assemblages of chicks and adults in a natural population of black-legged kittiwakes (Rissa tridactyla), using molecular methods.
resultsWe show that the kittiwake cloaca hosts a diverse assemblage of bacteria. A greater number of total bacterial OTUs (operational taxonomic units) were identified in chicks than adults, and chicks appeared to host a greater number of OTUs that were only isolated from single individuals. In contrast, the number of bacteria identified per individual was higher in adults than chicks, while older chicks hosted more OTUs than younger chicks. Finally, chicks and adults shared only seven OTUs, resulting in pronounced differences in microbial assemblages. This result is surprising given that adults regurgitate food to chicks and share the same nesting environment.
conclusionsOur findings suggest that chick gastrointestinal tracts are colonised by many transient species and that bacterial assemblages gradually transition to a more stable adult state. Phenotypic differences between chicks and adults may lead to these strong differences in bacterial communities. These data provide the framework for future studies targeting the causes and consequences of variation in bacterial assemblages in wild birds.
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