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First published online October 30, 2009
Journal of Experimental Biology 212, 3621-3626 (2009)
Published by The Company of Biologists 2009
doi: 10.1242/jeb.031336

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Symbiotic bacteria living in the hoopoe's uropygial gland prevent feather degradation

M. Ruiz-Rodríguez^1,*, E. Valdivia^2,4, Juan J. Soler³, M. Martín-Vivaldi¹, A. M. Martín-Platero² and M. Martínez-Bueno²

¹ Departamento Biología Animal, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Granada, 18071 Granada, Spain
² Departamento Microbiología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Granada, 18071 Granada, Spain
³ Departamento Ecología Funcional y Evolutiva, Estación Experimental de Zonas Áridas (CSIC), 04001 Almería, Spain
⁴ Instituto de Biotecnología, Universidad de Granada, 18071 Granada, Spain

^* Author for correspondence (magdaruiz{at}ugr.es)

Accepted 11 August 2009

Among potential agents that might damage bird feathers are certain microorganisms which secrete enzymes that digest keratin, as is the case of the ubiquitous bacterium Bacillus licheniformis, present in both the feathers and skin of wild birds. It is therefore a good candidate for testing the effects of bird defences against feather-degrading microorganisms. One of these defences is the oil secreted by the uropygial gland, which birds use to protect their feathers against parasites. In previous studies we have shown how Enterococcus faecalis strains isolated from nestling hoopoes exert antagonistic effects against B. licheniformis, mediated by the production of bacteriocins. Consequently we hypothesized that this enterococcus and the bacteriocins it engenders might act as a defence against feather-degrading microorganisms in hoopoes. We investigated this hypothesis in a series of laboratory experiments and evaluated the extent to which the keratinolytic effects caused by B. licheniformis were reduced by the E. faecalis MRR10-3 strain, isolated from hoopoes, and its bacteriocins. In different treatments, feathers or pure keratin was incubated with B. licheniformis, B. licheniformis together with E. faecalis MRR10-3, and B. licheniformis together with the bacteriocins produced by E. faecalis MRR10-3. Our results were in accordance with the predicted effects on hoopoe feathers. There was a significant decrease both in pure keratin loss and in feather degradation in the presence of the symbiotic bacterium or its bacteriocin. These results suggest that by preening their feathers hoopoes benefit from their symbiotic relationship with bacteriocin-producing enterococci, which constitute a chemical defence against feather degradation.

Key words: Bacillus licheniformis, Enterococcus faecalis, feather degradation, symbiosis, Upupa epops, uropygial gland

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