Guidelines for Collecting and Extracting Avian Odors in a Remote Field: Case Study of a Subantarctic Seabird

Recent research on avian chemical signaling has highlighted the need for new appropriate protocols especially for sampling, and analyzing, compounds borne by individuals Although many studies have already examined the chemical substances secreted by birds, only few works have done so from the perspective of chemical communication and none have focused on the actual airborne compounds which make up the final odor. As well as the relative infancy of the field, this gap originates from the absence of an appropriate methodological framework. In this study, we provide a methodological guideline of various combinations of sampling and extraction techniques that have been developed and tested in our research. These include: analysis of (1) uropygial secretion samples by solvent extraction, (2) feather lipids by solvent extraction, (3) feather lipids by direct solid-phase thermal desorption, (4) cotton swab (rubbed on bird) by solid-phase microextraction (SPME), (5) cotton swab by direct solid-phase thermal desorption and (6) airborne volatiles by thermal desorption. To achieve this, we used the particular case study of blue petrels (Halobaena caerulea), a Subantarctic procellariiform seabird, living on remote islands and known for its good olfactory capabilities. Outcomes from the different methods are presented in terms of chromatographic quality, the number and properties of the analytes resolved, and their suitability for the work in isolated locations. Advantages and limitations of each method are discussed together with challenges that remain to make the new protocols presented more robust for field chemo-ecologists.