Fungi prevalence in breeding pairs of a monogamous seabird - little auk, Alle alle

Sexually transmitted diseases have been frequently hypothesised as a cost of multiple avian mating but relatively few studies have investigated the issue in truly wild birds. The main object of this study was to determine prevalence and concordance of fungi in cloacae of pair members of a socially monogamous Arctic seabird, little auk (Alle alle), thereby testing whether the microbes are likely to be transmitted during copulation. Various fungi species, potentially pathogenic, occurred in the little auk cloacae. One-third of the tested individuals were found to be a host for one to three fungi species. However, half of the 19 studied pairs were found to be not concordant in fungal assemblages, suggesting that transmission of the microbes between partners is not straightforward.