kim_harding ✅ on Nostr: Feather mites selectively feed on specific bacteria and fungi on feathers with ...
Feather mites selectively feed on specific bacteria and fungi on feathers with potential benefits to hosts
https://besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/1365-2656.70021
This study presents a rare example of a trophic interaction within the microscopic ecosystem of the feather that may act as an important force shaping microbial communities in ways that benefit the host, providing an overlooked mechanism by which symbioses between birds and mites could evolve.
https://besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/1365-2656.70021
This study presents a rare example of a trophic interaction within the microscopic ecosystem of the feather that may act as an important force shaping microbial communities in ways that benefit the host, providing an overlooked mechanism by which symbioses between birds and mites could evolve.