Keratin constitutes the major component of the feather, hair, hooves, horns, and wool
represents a group of biological material having high cysteine content (7–13%) as …

The skin constitutes the primary physical barrier between vertebrates and their external
environment. Characterization of skin microorganisms is essential for understanding how a …

Simple Summary Farm animal health and welfare have been paid increasing concern in the
world, which is generally assessed by the measurements of physical health, immune …

Microbial ecologists strive to understand the factors that influence the structures and
functions of microbial communities. At first glance, understanding these communities might …

The uropygial gland is a holocrine complex exclusive to birds that produces an oleaginous
secretion (preen oil) whose function is still debated. Herein, I examine critically the evidence …

Choosing to mate with an infected partner has several potential fitness costs, including
disease transmission and infection-induced reductions in fecundity and parental care. By …

The functional relevance of microbiota is a key aspect for understanding host–microbiota
interactions. Mammalian skin harbours a complex consortium of beneficial microorganisms …

Limited knowledge of bird microbiome in the all‐body niche hinders our understanding of
host–microbial relationships and animal health. Here, we characterized the microbial …

Background Parasites exert important selective pressures on host life history traits. In birds,
feathers are inhabited by numerous microorganisms, some of them being able to degrade …

The brilliant red, orange and yellow colours of parrot feathers are the product of
psittacofulvins, which are synthetic pigments known only from parrots. Recent evidence …