Northern Michigan University NMU Commons All NMU Master's Theses Student Works 2013 ECOLOGICAL ASPECTS OF CHEWING LICE IN A NORTHERN MICHIGAN POPULATION OF BROWN-HEADED COWBIRDS Emily Shea Durkin Northern Michigan University Follow this and additional works at: https://commons.nmu.edu/theses Recommended Citation Durkin, Emily Shea, "ECOLOGICAL ASPECTS OF CHEWING LICE IN A NORTHERN MICHIGAN POPULATION OF BROWN-HEADED COWBIRDS" (2013). All NMU Master's Theses. 386. https://commons.nmu.edu/theses/386 This Open Access is brought to you for free and open access by the Student Works at NMU Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in All NMU Master's Theses by an authorized administrator of NMU Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected],[email protected]. ECOLOGICAL ASPECTS OF CHEWING LICE IN A NORTHERN MICHIGAN POPULATION OF BROWN-HEADED COWBIRDS By Emily Shea Durkin THESIS Submitted to Northern Michigan University In partial fulfillment of the requirements For the degree of MASTER OF SCIENCE Office of Graduate Education and Research 2013 ABSTRACT ECOLOGICAL ASPECTS OF CHEWING LICE IN A NORTHERN MICHIGAN POPULATION OF BROWN-HEADED COWBIRDS By Emily S. Durkin Brown-headed cowbirds are brood parasites and come in direct contact with a greater number of bird species than non-brood-parasitic birds. The male and female sub populations as well as the young and older male subpopulations engage in different behaviors that could affect chewing louse communities. 401 brown-headed cowbirds collected from northern Michigan were examined for chewing lice. Chewing louse prevalence, intensity and species richness were compared between male and female cowbirds. Males had significantly greater louse prevalence and intensity compared to females (65% and 49% respectively, p<0.01; Mdn=8 and 5 respectively, p=0.08). Males and females had similar species richness. Chewing louse prevalence and intensity were also compared between young and older male brown-headed cowbirds. Young males had significantly greater louse prevalence and older males had significantly greater louse intensity when compared to each other (72% and 61% respectively, p=0.05; Mdn=5.5 and 9 respectively, p=0.03). Five different chewing louse genera were collected from brown- headed cowbirds: Brueelia , Philopterus , Machaerilaemus , Myrsidea and Menacanthus . However, Brueelia made up the overwhelming majority of lice collected. i Copyright by Emily Shea Durkin July 1, 2013 ii DEDICATION I dedicate this thesis to my family who encouraged and nurtured my desire to explore since day one. iii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to thank the following people who made this study possible. Dr. Jackie Bird: I cannot express my appreciation for your time, guidance, patience and understanding as my thesis advisor. You taught me so much. You surpassed your duties as an advisor and helped make this experience an enjoyable adventure! Dr. Patrick Brown and Jill Leonard: For your time, knowledge and encouragement. I would also like to thank you for standing in for Jackie, signing papers and helping me out in areas Jackie could not after she retired. Daniel Beckman: For your help collecting birds and your company while I collected and identified lice. I would also like to thank you and your family for everything you did to help make my life a bit easier during hectic times. United States Fish and Wildlife Service, Daniel Elbert and Trappers: For your time, and knowledge. You made the bird collection process a pleasure! Jim Beckman Family: For letting my volunteers and me stay at your cottage while trapping; it was spectacular! Dr. Jason Garvon: For offering your “blasting” technique for louse collection. William Durkin: For designing and building me two custom bird blasters. Megan Porter: For your help with bird blasting; you made my life a lot easier. Dr. Sarah Bush and Emily DiBlassi: For your help in louse identification. iv Dr. Ricardo Palma: For your help in louse identification and confirmation. Suzie Piziali: For your support and encouragement while I was a graduate student at Northern Michigan University. Fellow Grad students at NMU including Steve Schaar, Kari Farkas, Saya Iwanaga, Emily and Quentin Sprengelmeyer Lexi Goodman and Kurt VanMullekom: For your insight and friendship during my time at Northern Michigan University as a graduate student. NMU Excellence in Education Grant and NMU Biology Department Development Fund Grant: For financial support of this project. Marquette Friends including Jesse DeCaire, Emily Schneeberger, Chris and Renee’Moore, The Walkers, Jay DeHut, Anna Eby and Sierra Cheatham: For your friendship and encouragement. And finally to my family: For your love, support and encouragement. This thesis follows the guidelines and format prescribed by The Journal of Paraitology. v TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF TABLES ............................................................................................................ vii LIST OF FIGURES ......................................................................................................... viii INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................................. 1 OBJECTIVES ................................................................................................................... 10 METHODS ....................................................................................................................... 11 RESULTS ......................................................................................................................... 18 DISCUSSION ................................................................................................................... 21 SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS ............................................................................... 28 LITERATURE CITED ..................................................................................................... 29 APPENDIX A ................................................................................................................... 36 vi LIST OF TABLES Table I . Number of male and female brown-headed cowbirds collected and examined from each collection date during 2011 in northern Michigan. .......................................... 37 Table II . The number of louse species reported on non-brood-parasitic and brood- parasitic icterid hosts and the number of studies that examined lice on each host. .......... 37 Table III . The number of infected and examined female, male, young male and older male brown-headed cowbirds collected from northern Michigan in 2011 and their louse prevalence ......................................................................................................................... 38 Table IV. The number of male and female brown-headed cowbirds collected from northern Michigan in 2011 infected with lice, their median (range) louse intensity and median (range) louse species richness. ............................................................................. 38 Table V . The number of young and older male brown-headed cowbirds collected from northern Michigan in 2011 infected with lice and their median (range) louse intensity. 38 Table VI . A list of louse genera identified, the number of brown-headed cowbirds collected from northern Michigan in 2011 infected with each genus, the number of lice collected from the head and neck region and body region of cowbirds and the number of lice collected from unknown origin for each genus. ......................................................... 39 vii LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1 . External anatomy of chewing lice. ................................................................... 40 Figure 2 . Chewing louse reproductive anatomy. ............................................................. 41 Figure 3 . Enclosures used by United States Fish and Wildlife Service for brown-headed cowbird trapping in northern Michigan. ........................................................................... 42 Figure 4 . Euthanized brown-headed cowbirds ................................................................. 43 Figure 5 . Ventral side of wing from an older (after-second-year) male brown-headed cowbird ............................................................................................................................. 44 Figure 6 . Ventral side of wing from a young (second-year) male brown-headed cowbird. ........................................................................................................................................... 45 Figure 7 . Brown-headed cowbird orientation for head and neck louse collection .......... 46 Figure 8 . Plastic chamber built by William Durkin and used for louse collection ......... 47 Figure 9 . Brown-headed cowbird being “blasted” for louse collection .......................... 48 Figure 10 . Brown-headed cowbird orientation for body louse collection ...................... 49 Figure 11 . Chewing louse nymphs at 40X magnification. ............................................... 50 Figure 12 . Female abdomen of Brueelia ornatissima at 100x magnification. ................. 51 Figure 13 . Male abdomen of Brueelia ornatissima at 100X magnification. ................... 52 viii Figure 14 . Two female Brueelia ornatissima at 40X magnification ............................... 53 Figure 15 . Female Machaerilaemus at 40X magnification .............................................. 54 Figure 16 . Male Philopterus at 40X magnification. .......................................................