PDF(Pubmed)
Abstract：
Birds and ants co-occur in most terrestrial ecosystems and engage in a range of interactions. Competition, mutualism and predation are prominent examples of these interactions, but there are possibly many others that remain to be identified and characterized. This study provides quantitative estimates of the frequency of toe amputations resulting from ant bites in a population of migratory red-necked nightjars (Caprimulgus ruficollis) monitored for 15 years (2009-2023) in S Spain, and identifies the attacker(s) based on taxonomic analyses of ant-mandible remains found on injured toes. Less than 1% of examined adults (N = 369) missed one or more toes. The analysis of ant remains identified African army ants (Dorylus sp.) as the primary cause of toe amputations in nightjars and revealed that body parts of the attacker may remain attached to the birds even after intercontinental migration. No cases of severe damage were observed in juveniles (N = 269), apart from the mandible of a Messor barbarus - a local ant species - attached to one of the teeth of the characteristic comb of the medial toe of nightjars. The incidence of ant-bite damage may appear unimportant for nightjar populations, but this might not be true if only birds that manage to survive their injuries and potential complications (e.g. severe bleeding and sepsis from opportunistic infections) return from the tropics. More field studies, ideally in tropical areas, that incorporate routine examination of ant-induced injuries into their protocols are needed to understand the true incidence and eco-evolutionary implications of antagonistic ant-bird interactions.
摘要：
鸟类和蚂蚁在大多数陆地生态系统中共同出现，并参与一系列相互作用。Competition,互利和捕食是这些相互作用的突出例子，但可能还有许多其他有待识别和表征。这项研究提供了在西班牙南部监测了15年（2009-2023年）的迁徙性红颈夜枪（Caprimulgusruficollis）中蚂蚁叮咬引起的脚趾截肢频率的定量估计，并根据在受伤的脚趾上发现的蚂蚁下颌骨遗骸的分类分析来识别攻击者。不到1％的成年人（N=369）错过了一个或多个脚趾。对蚂蚁遗骸的分析确定了非洲军队蚂蚁(Dorylussp。）作为夜莺中脚趾截肢的主要原因，并揭示即使在洲际迁徙之后，攻击者的身体部位仍可能附着在鸟类上。在青少年中没有观察到严重损害的病例(N=269)，除了Messorbarbarus的下颌骨-一种当地的蚂蚁物种-附着在夜总会内侧脚趾的特征梳齿之一上。对于夜间人群来说，蚂蚁咬伤的发生率可能不重要，但是，如果只有设法在受伤和潜在并发症（例如，机会性感染引起的严重出血和败血症）中幸存下来的鸟类从热带地区返回，这可能不是真的。更多实地研究,最好是在热带地区，需要将对蚂蚁引起的损伤进行常规检查，以了解拮抗性蚂蚁-鸟类相互作用的真实发生率和生态进化意义。
