Study site and sample collection
Sampling and data collection were performed from March to May 2019 and
April to May 2020 in artificial nests relocated at the Tiputini
Biodiversity Station (TBS) (037’05”S, 7610’19”W, 190-270 m a.s.l)
situated in the Yasuni Biosphere Reserve in the Orellana province of
Ecuador. After the incubation period (3 months) we determined symptoms
of fungal infections by visual inspection. Eggs were cataloged as
symptomatic eggs when covered with unusual colored spots (green, pink,
greyish) and with a non-uniform shape (Figure 1a), and eggs without
these traces were cataloged as asymptomatic. In 2019, we sampled inner
eggshells of 68 eggs (29 asymptomatic, 39 symptomatic) using a sterile
swab. In 2020, hatchability data of 680 eggs (394 asymptomatic eggs, 286
symptomatic) from 23 different nests was collected. See supplementary
information for detailed information on sampling design and data
collection.