Experimental evidence of a consistent commensal relationship between avian hosts and feather mites of differing host specificities

The majority of research on birds and their symbionts has focused on putatively parasitic relationships, but this presumption often lacks experimental evidence and overlooks the potential for context-dependent patterns. Nearly all studies regarding the impact of feather mites on their avian hosts have been correlative and spatially or taxonomically limited, resulting in conflicting and narrow classifications of the nature of the symbiosis (i.e., parasitic, mutualistic, or commensal). Furthermore, gaps in understanding mite host specificity, and thus an inability to account for this ecologically and evolutionarily important trait, may also contribute to these varying conclusions. Here, we examined the impacts of this trait by experimentally removing feather mites from two species of wild wood-warblers that harbor mites with different host specificities (one host specific, one found on ≥17 host species). Birds were recaptured the following year to assess potential for context-dependent im..., , # Experimental evidence of a consistent commensal relationship between avian hosts and feather mites of differing host specificities

Dataset DOI: [10.5061/dryad.x95x69pxj](10.5061/dryad.x95x69pxj)

## Description of the data and file structure

Experimental removal of feather mites from two species of warblers conducted in the field to experimentally test the functional impact of mites on host body condition and survival, as well as measure the population rebound of mites year to year.

### Files and variables

#### File: ExperimentalRemovalData-20240802.csv

**Description:** 

##### Variables

* name: nickname of the individual bird
* species: PROW = Prothonotary Warbler; CERW = Cerulean Warbler
* treatment: 1 = mites removed; 0 = control
* color_combo: color band combination in format `top left/bottom left:top right/bottom right`; SI = silver USGS band; NB = no band; RD = red; GR = green; PI = pink; OR = orange; BL = blue; YE = yellow; WH = white
* band_num: USGS band combination
* s...,