title: Darwin's finches combat introduced nest parasites with fumigated cotton.
abstract: Introduced parasites are a threat to biodiversity when naïve hosts lack effective defenses against such parasites [1]. Several parasites have recently colonized the Galápagos Islands, threatening native bird populations [2]. For example, the introduced parasitic nest fly Philornis downsi (Diptera: Muscidae) has been implicated in the decline of endangered species of Darwin's finches, such as the mangrove finch (Camarhynchus heliobates) [3]. Here, we show that Darwin's finches can be encouraged to 'self-fumigate' nests with cotton fibers that have been treated with permethrin. Nests with permethrin-treated cotton had significantly fewer P. downsi than control nests, and nests containing at least one gram of cotton were virtually parasite-free. Nests directly fumigated with permethrin had fewer parasites and fledged more offspring than nests treated with water.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Univ. of Utah, 257 South 1400 East, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA. Electronic address: saknutie@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Sarah A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Knutie
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Univ. of Utah, 257 South 1400 East, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA.
authors.forename: Sabrina M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: McNew
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Univ. of Utah, 257 South 1400 East, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA.
authors.forename: Andrew W
authors.initials: AW
authors.lastname: Bartlow
authors.affiliation: Facultad de Biosciencias, Univ. Autonoma de Barcelona, Cerdanyola del Valles, 08193 Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: Daniela A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Vargas
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Univ. of Utah, 257 South 1400 East, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA.
authors.forename: Dale H
authors.initials: DH
authors.lastname: Clayton
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D032561:Cotton Fiber; D004484:Ecuador; D046369:Finches / Q000469:parasitology*; D005651:Fumigation / Q000379:methods*; D007306:Insecticides / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology*; D009117:Muscidae / Q000187:drug effects*; D009425:Nesting Behavior; D026023:Permethrin / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology*; D012098:Reproduction
chemical_list: D007306:Insecticides; D026023:Permethrin