Scott-Baumann James F, Morgan Eric R
School of Biological Sciences,University of Bristol,Life Sciences Building,24 Tyndall Avenue,Bristol BS8 1TQ,UK.
Parasitology. 2015 Jul;142(8):1016-23. doi: 10.1017/S0031182015000189. Epub 2015 Mar 25.
The use of aromatic plants and their essential oils for ectoparasite treatment is a field of growing interest. Several species of birds regularly introduce aromatic herbs into their nests putatively to reduce parasites. The behaviour is most often seen in cavity nesting birds and after nest building has finished. The plants are included in a non-structural manner and are often strongly aromatic. Various different hypotheses have been proposed regarding the function of this behaviour; from the plants altering some non-living factor in the nest (crypsis, water loss and insulation hypotheses) to them being involved in mate selection (mate hypothesis) or even having a beneficial effect, direct or indirect, on chicks (drug or nest protection hypothesis, NPH). Many studies have been carried out over the years observing and experimentally testing these hypotheses. This review focuses on studies involving the most popular of these hypotheses, the NPH: that plants decrease nest parasites or pathogens, thereby conveying positive effects to the chicks, allowing the behaviour to evolve. Studies providing observational evidence towards this hypothesis and those experimentally testing it are discussed.
使用芳香植物及其精油进行体外寄生虫治疗是一个越来越受关注的领域。几种鸟类经常将芳香草本植物引入它们的巢穴，据推测是为了减少寄生虫。这种行为最常见于洞穴筑巢的鸟类，且在筑巢完成之后。这些植物以非结构性的方式被纳入巢穴，并且通常具有强烈的芳香气味。关于这种行为的功能，已经提出了各种不同的假设；从植物改变巢穴中的某些非生物因素（伪装、水分流失和保温假设）到它们参与配偶选择（配偶假设），甚至对雏鸟有直接或间接的有益影响（药物或巢穴保护假设，即NPH）。多年来已经进行了许多研究来观察和实验检验这些假设。本综述重点关注涉及这些假设中最流行的NPH的研究：即植物减少巢穴寄生虫或病原体，从而给雏鸟带来积极影响，使这种行为得以进化。文中讨论了为该假设提供观察证据的研究以及对其进行实验检验的研究。
