Semiochemical compounds of preen secretion reflect genetic make-up in a seabird species

• Published in: Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences
• Main Authors: Leclaire, Sarah, Merkling, Thomas, Raynaud, Christine, Mulard, Hervé, Bessière, Jean-Marie, Lhuillier, Emeline, Hatch, Scott A., Danchin, Etienne
• Other Authors: Evolution et Diversité Biologique (EDB), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Université Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier (UT3), Université Fédérale Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées-Université Fédérale Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées, Chimie Agro-Industrielle (CAI), Institut National Polytechnique (Toulouse) (Toulouse INP), Université Fédérale Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées-Université Fédérale Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées-Ecole nationale supérieure des ingénieurs en arts chimiques et technologiques-Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA), Ecole Nationale Supérieure de Chimie de Montpellier (ENSCM), United States Geological Survey (USGS), French Polar Institute Paul-Emile Victor (IPEV) 1162, CNRS (PIR Maladies infectieuses et environnement numero) 74164
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: HAL CCSD 2012
• Subjects: birds; black-legged kittiwake; black-legged kittiwakes; genetic compatibility; gland secretions; heterozygosity; kin recognition; major-histocompatibility-complex; mate choice; mhc; odor recognition; olfactory communication; reproductive success; sexual selection; tits cyanistes-caeruleus; [SDV.IDA]Life Sciences [q-bio]/Food engineering; [SPI.GPROC]Engineering Sciences [physics]/Chemical and Process Engineering; Black-legged Kittiwake
• Online Access: https://hal.inrae.fr/hal-02648854; https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2011.1611

International audience Several vertebrates choose their mate according to genetic heterozygosity and relatedness, and use odour cues to assess their conspecifics' genetic make-up. In birds, although several species (including the black-legged kittiwake) exhibit non-random mating according to genetic traits, the cues used to assess genetic characteristics remain unknown. The importance of olfaction in birds' social behaviour is gaining attention among researchers, and it has been suggested that, as in other vertebrates, bird body scent may convey information about genetic traits. Here, we combined gas chromatography data and genetic analyses at microsatellite loci to test whether semiochemical messages in preen secretion of kittiwakes carried information about genetic heterozygosity and relatedness. Semiochemical profile was correlated with heterozygosity in males and females, while semiochemical distance was correlated with genetic distance only in male-male dyads. Our study is the first to demonstrate a link between odour and genetics in birds, which sets the stage for the existence of sophisticated odour-based mechanisms of mate choice also in birds.