scholarly journals Host-parasite interaction explains variation in prevalence of avian haemosporidians at the community level

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. Garcia-Longoria ◽  
A. Marzal ◽  
F. de Lope ◽  
L. Z. Garamszegi
Keyword(s):  
Host Species ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Ecological Factors ◽  
Bird Community ◽  
Parasite Prevalence ◽  
Host Community ◽  
Dual Nature ◽  
Host Parasite Interactions ◽  
Avian Haemosporidians ◽  
Host Parasite

ABSTRACTParasites are a selective force that shape host community structure and dynamics, but host communities can also influence parasitism. Understanding the dual nature from host-parasite interactions can be facilitated by quantifying the variation in parasite prevalence (i.e. the proportion of infected host individuals in a population) among host species and then comparing that variation to other ecological factors that are known to also shape host communities. Avian haemosporidian parasites (e.g. Plasmodium and Haemoproteus) are abundant and widespread representing an excellent model for the study of host-parasite interactions. Several geographic and environmental factors have been suggested to determine prevalence of avian haemosporidians in bird communities. However, much remains to be known regarding whether host and parasite traits, represented by phylogenetic distances among species and degree of specialization in host-parasite relationships, can influence parasite prevalence. The aims of this study were to analyze factors affecting prevalence in a bird community and to test whether the degree of parasite specialization on their hosts is determined by host traits. Our statistical analyses suggest that prevalence is mainly determined by the interaction between host species and parasite lineages where tolerance and/or susceptibility to parasites plays an essential role. Additionally, we found that although some of the parasite lineages infected a low number of bird species, the species they infected were distantly related and therefore the parasites themselves should not be considered typical host specialists. Prevalence was higher for generalist than for specialist parasites in some, but not all, host species. These results suggest that prevalence mainly results from the interaction between host immune defences and parasite exploitation strategies wherein the result of an association between particular parasite lineages and particular host species is idiosyncratic.

scholarly journals Diversity and host assemblage of avian haemosporidians in different terrestrial ecoregions of Peru

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luz Garcia-Longoria ◽  
Jaime Muriel ◽  
Sergio Magallanes ◽  
Zaira Hellen Villa-Galarce ◽  
Leonila Ricopa ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Amazon Basin ◽  
Evolutionary Dynamics ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Host Community ◽  
Bird Diversity ◽  
New Host ◽  
Parasite Richness ◽  
Haemosporidian Parasites ◽  
Avian Haemosporidians ◽  
Host Parasite

Abstract Characterizing the diversity and structure of host-parasite communities is crucial to understanding their eco-evolutionary dynamics. Malaria and related haemosporidian parasites are responsible for fitness loss and mortality in bird species worldwide. However, despite exhibiting the greatest ornithological biodiversity, avian haemosporidians from Neotropical regions are quite unexplored. Here, we analyse the genetic diversity of bird haemosporidian parasites (Plasmodium and Haemoproteus) in 1,336 individuals belonging to 206 bird species to explore for differences in diversity of parasite lineages and bird species across five well-differentiated Peruvian ecoregions. We detected 70 different haemosporidian lineages infecting 74 bird species. We showed that 25 out of the 70 haplotypes had not been previously recorded. Moreover, we also identified 81 new host – parasite interactions representing new host records for these haemosporidian parasites. Our outcomes revealed that the effective diversity (as well as the richness, abundance, and Shannon-Weaver index) for both birds and parasite lineages was higher in Amazon basin ecoregions. Furthermore, we also showed that ecoregions with greater diversity of bird species also had high parasite richness, hence suggesting that host community is crucial in explaining parasite richness. Generalist parasites were found in ecoregions with lower bird diversity, implying that the abundance and richness of hosts may shape the exploitation strategy followed by haemosporidian parasites. These outcomes reveal that Neotropical region is a major reservoir of unidentified haemosporidian lineages. Further studies analysing host distribution and specificity of these parasites in the tropics will provide important knowledge about phylogenetic relationships, phylogeography, and patterns of evolution and distribution of haemosporidian parasites.

scholarly journals Host migration and environmental temperature influence avian haemosporidians prevalence: a molecular survey in a Brazilian Atlantic rainforest

PeerJ ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
pp. e11555
Author(s):  
Raquel A. Rodrigues ◽  
Gabriel M.F. Felix ◽  
Mauro Pichorim ◽  
Patricia A. Moreira ◽  
Erika M. Braga
Keyword(s):  
Community Organization ◽  
Bird Community ◽  
Parasite Prevalence ◽  
Northeastern Brazil ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Avian Haemosporidians ◽  
Host Life ◽  
Migratory Status ◽  
Species Specific ◽  
Host Parasite

Avian haemosporidians are parasites with great capacity to spread to new environments and new hosts, being considered a good model to host-parasite interactions studies. Here, we examine avian haemosporidian parasites in a protected area covered by Restinga vegetation in northeastern Brazil, to test the hypothesis that haemosporidian prevalence is related to individual-level traits (age and breeding season), species-specific traits (diet, foraging strata, period of activity, species body weight, migratory status, and nest shape), and climate factors (temperature and rainfall). We screened DNA from 1,466 birds of 70 species captured monthly from April 2013 to March 2015. We detected an overall prevalence (Plasmodium/Haemoproteus infection) of 22% (44 host species) and parasite’s lineages were identified by mitochondrial cyt b gene. Our results showed that migration can be an important factor predicting the prevalence of Haemoproteus (Parahaemoproteus), but not Plasmodium, in hosts. Besides, the temperature, but not rainfall, seems to predict the prevalence of Plasmodium in this bird community. Neither individual-level traits analyzed nor the other species-specific traits tested were related to the probability of a bird becoming infected by haemosporidians. Our results point the importance of conducting local studies in particular environments to understand the degree of generality of factors impacting parasite prevalence in bird communities. Despite our attempts to find patterns of infection in this bird community, we should be aware that an avian haemosporidian community organization is highly complex and this complexity can be attributed to an intricate net of factors, some of which were not observed in this study and should be evaluated in future studies. We evidence the importance of looking to host-parasite relationships in a more close scale, to assure that some effects may not be obfuscated by differences in host life-history.

scholarly journals The drivers of avian haemosporidian prevalence in tropical lowland forest of New Guinea in three dimensions

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Celia Vinagre-Izquierdo ◽  
Kasun Bodawatta ◽  
Krystof Chmel ◽  
Justinn Renelies-Hamilton ◽  
Luda Paul ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Forest Cover ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
New Guinea ◽  
Parasite Prevalence ◽  
Host Community ◽  
Community Level ◽  
Three Dimensions ◽  
Effect Of Temperature ◽  
Tropical Lowland ◽  
Host Parasite

Haemosporidians are among the most common parasites in birds and often impact negatively host fitness and consequently can affect entire host populations. It is therefore important to determine what factors influence parasite prevalence, particularly if they are caused by anthropogenic activities. Here we explore the effect of temperature, forest cover, and proximity to anthropogenic disturbance on haemosporidian prevalence and host-parasite networks on a horizontal spatial scale, comparing four fragmented forest patches and five localities within a continuous forest in Papua New Guinea. We find that the majority of Haemosporidian infections are caused by the genus Haemoproteus and that avian-haemosporidian networks are more specialized in continuous forests. At the community level, only forest cover was negatively associated with Haemoproteus infections, while abiotic and anthropogenic effects on parasite prevalence differed between bird species. We further tested if prevalence and host-parasite networks differed between the canopy and the understorey (vertical stratification) and found significantly higher Haemoproteus prevalence levels in the canopy, and the opposite trend for Plasmodium prevalence. This implies that birds experience distinct parasite pressures depending on the stratum they inhabit, likely driven by differences in vector communities. These three-dimensional analyses of avian-haemosporidians at horizontal and vertical scales provides a deeper understanding of the environmental factors driving haemosporidian prevalence in tropical lowland forests of New Guinea. Collectively, our results suggest that the effect of abiotic variables on haemosporidian infections are species specific, and that factors influencing community-level infections are primarily driven by host community composition.

scholarly journals Host community heterogeneity and the expression of host specificity in avian haemosporidia in the Western Cape, South Africa

Parasitology ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 145 (14) ◽  
pp. 1876-1883 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sharon M. Jones ◽  
Graeme S. Cumming ◽  
Jeffrey L. Peters
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Host Specificity ◽  
Parasite Prevalence ◽  
Host Community ◽  
Western Cape ◽  
Community Heterogeneity ◽  
Host Parasite Interactions ◽  
Abundance And Diversity ◽  
Animal Communities ◽  
Host Parasite

AbstractSimilar patterns of parasite prevalence in animal communities may be driven by a range of different mechanisms. The influences of host heterogeneity and host–parasite interactions in host community assemblages are poorly understood. We sampled birds at 27 wetlands in South Africa to compare four hypotheses explaining how host community heterogeneity influences host specificity in avian haemosporidia communities: the host-neutral hypothesis, the super-spreader hypothesis, the host specialist hypothesis and the heterogeneity hypothesis. A total of 289 birds (29%) were infected with Plasmodium, Haemoproteus and/or Leucocytozoon lineages. Leucocytozoon was the most diverse and generalist parasite genus, and Plasmodium the most conservative. The host-neutral and host specialist hypotheses received the most support in explaining prevalence by lineage (Leucocytozoon) and genus (Plasmodium and Haemoproteus), respectively. We observed that haemosporidian prevalence was potentially amplified or reduced with variation in host and/or parasitic taxonomic levels of analysis. Our results show that Leucocytozoon host abundance and diversity was influential to parasite prevalence at varying taxonomic levels, particularly within heterogeneous host communities. Furthermore, we note that prevalent mechanisms of infection can potentially act as distinct roots for shaping communities of avian haemosporidia.

scholarly journals Louse (Insecta: Phthiraptera) infestations of the Amur Falcon (Falco amurensis) and the Red-footed Falcon

2015 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
pp. 58-65 ◽  
Author(s):  
Imre Sándor Piross ◽  
Péter Fehérvári ◽  
Zoltán Vas ◽  
Szabolcs Solt ◽  
Éva Horváth ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Life History ◽  
Host Species ◽  
Life History Traits ◽  
Population Parameters ◽  
Model Species ◽  
Host Parasite Interactions ◽  
Louse Species ◽  
Host Parasite ◽  
First Time

Abstract Little is known about the louse species harboured by Red-footed and Amur Falcons despite the fact that various life-history traits of these hosts make them good model species to study host-parasite interactions. We collected lice samples from fully grown Amur (n=20) and Red-footed Falcons (n=59), and from nestlings of Red-footed Falcons (n=179) in four countries: Hungary, India, Italy and South Africa. We identified 3 louse species on both host species, namely Degeeriella rufa, Colpocephalum subzerafae and Laembothrion tinnunculi. The latter species has never been found on these hosts. Comparing population parameters of lice between hosts we found significantly higher prevalence levels of D. rufa and C. subzerafae on Amur Falcons. Adult Red-footed Falcons had higher D. rufa prevalence compared to C. subzerafae. For the first time we also show inter-annual shift in prevalence and intensity levels of these species on Red-footed Falcons; in 2012 on adult hosts C. subzerafae had higher intensity levels than D. rufa, however in 2014 D. rufa had significantly higher intensity compared to C. subzerafae. In case of nestlings both louse species had significantly higher preva lence levels than in 2014. The exact causes of such inter-annual shifts are yet to be understood.

scholarly journals Susceptibility across host species is independent of dietary protein to carbohydrate ratios

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katherine E Roberts ◽  
Ben Longdon
Keyword(s):  
Viral Load ◽  
Dietary Protein ◽  
Host Species ◽  
Rna Virus ◽  
Ecological Factors ◽  
Host Shift ◽  
Host Susceptibility ◽  
Novel Host ◽  
Host Diet ◽  
Host Parasite

AbstractThe likelihood of a successful host shift of a parasite to a novel host species can be influenced by environmental factors that can act on both the host and parasite. Changes in nutritional resource availability have been shown to alter pathogen susceptibility and the outcome of infection in a range of systems. Here we examined how dietary protein to carbohydrate altered susceptibility in a large cross infection experiment. We infected 27 species of Drosophilidae with an RNA virus on three food types of differing protein to carbohydrate ratios. We then measured how viral load and mortality across species was affected by changes in diet. We found that changes in the protein:carbohydrate in the diet did not alter the outcomes of infection, with strong positive inter-species correlations in both viral load and mortality across diets, suggesting no species by diet interaction. Mortality and viral load were strongly positively correlated, and this association was consistent across diets. This suggests changes in diet may give consistent outcomes across host species, and may not be universally important in determining host susceptibility to pathogens.Impact StatementA successful host shift of a parasite from one susceptible species to a novel host can be influenced by many ecological factors. Changes in host diet can alter the immune response and outcomes of host–parasite interactions and could potentially alter the outcome of a virus host shift. To investigate, we infected 27 species of Drosophilidae with an RNA virus (DCV) across three food types with differing protein to carbohydrate ratios. We then looked at pathogen loads and survival of infected hosts compared to uninfected controls. Changes in the ratio of protein to carbohydrate did not alter susceptibility to DCV across host species.

scholarly journals Haemosporidian taxonomic composition, network centrality and partner fidelity between resident and migratory avian hosts

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniela de Angeli Dutra ◽  
Alan Fecchio ◽  
Erika Martins Braga ◽  
Robert Poulin
Keyword(s):  
Local Community ◽  
Taxonomic Composition ◽  
Network Centrality ◽  
Migratory Species ◽  
Haemosporidian Parasites ◽  
Host Parasite Interactions ◽  
Community Transmission ◽  
Avian Haemosporidians ◽  
Host Parasite

Migration can modify interaction dynamics between parasites and their hosts with migrant hosts able to disperse parasites and impact local community transmission. Thus, studying the relationships among migratory hosts and their parasites is fundamental to elucidate how migration shapes host-parasite interactions. Avian haemosporidian parasites are some of the most prevalent, diverse, and important wildlife parasites, and are also widely used as models in ecological and evolutionary research. Here, we contrast parasite taxonomic composition, network centrality and partner fidelity among resident and non-resident hosts using avian haemosporidians as study model. In order to evaluate parasite taxonomic composition, we performed permutational multivariate analyses of variance to quantify dissimilarity in haemosporidian lineages infecting different host migratory categories. Additionally, we ran multilevel Bayesian models to assess the role of migration in determining centrality and partner fidelity in host-parasite networks of avian hosts and their respective haemosporidian parasites. We observed similar parasite taxonomic composition and partner fidelity among resident and migratory hosts. Conversely, we demonstrate that migratory hosts play a more central role in host-parasite networks than residents. However, when evaluating partially and fully migratory hosts separately, we observed that only partially migratory species presented higher network centrality when compared to resident birds. Therefore, migration does not lead to differences in both parasite taxonomic composition and partner fidelity. However, migratory behavior is positively associated with network centrality, indicating migratory hosts play more important roles in shaping host-parasite interactions and influence local transmission.

scholarly journals Evolution of transgenerational immunity in invertebrates

2016 ◽  
Vol 283 (1839) ◽  
pp. 20161136 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Pigeault ◽  
R. Garnier ◽  
A. Rivero ◽  
S. Gandon
Keyword(s):  
Experimental Studies ◽  
Ecological Factors ◽  
Immune Protection ◽  
Vertebrate Species ◽  
Invertebrate Species ◽  
Host Parasite Interactions ◽  
Expected Longevity ◽  
Host Parasite ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Evolution Of Immunity

Over a decade ago, the discovery of transgenerational immunity in invertebrates shifted existing paradigms on the lack of sophistication of their immune system. Nonetheless, the prevalence of this trait and the ecological factors driving its evolution in invertebrates remain poorly understood. Here, we develop a theoretical host–parasite model and predict that long lifespan and low dispersal should promote the evolution of transgenerational immunity. We also predict that in species that produce both philopatric and dispersing individuals, it may pay to have a plastic allocation strategy with a higher transgenerational immunity investment in philopatric offspring because they are more likely to encounter locally adapted pathogens. We review all experimental studies published to date, comprising 21 invertebrate species in nine different orders, and we show that, as expected, longevity and dispersal correlate with the transfer of immunity to offspring. The validity of our prediction regarding the plasticity of investment in transgenerational immunity remains to be tested in invertebrates, but also in vertebrate species. We discuss the implications of our work for the study of the evolution of immunity, and we suggest further avenues of research to expand our knowledge of the impact of transgenerational immune protection in host–parasite interactions.

scholarly journals Haemosporidian Blood Parasites in nestling birds of prey in Mongolia

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hamidreza Attaran ◽  
Jing Luo ◽  
Wang Bo ◽  
Reza Nabavi ◽  
Hong-xuan He
Keyword(s):  
Bird Species ◽  
Bird Community ◽  
Blood Parasites ◽  
Birds Of Prey ◽  
Cyt B ◽  
Bird Populations ◽  
Intracellular Parasites ◽  
Avian Haemosporidians ◽  
Cyt B Gene ◽  
Local Habitat

Haemosporidians are vector-transmitted intracellular parasites that happen in numerous bird species worldwide and may possibly have important effects for wild bird populations. Studies of haemosporidians most dedicated on Europe and North America, and only newly some study in the Neotropics has been done, where the occurrence and influences of the disease have been less considered and are not understood well. In this study we designed a study in the nestling birds of prey in Mongolia. We sampled blood from 72 raptors at 2 different species and evaluated avian haemosporidian infection by two nested PCR protocol and one Real time PCR protocol. Sequencing a portion of the cytochrome b (cyt b) gene of the parasite. From the sampled birds, 10 % were infected by Plasmodium. Inclusive, our findings advocate a high haemosporidian species richness in the bird community of Mongolia. In view of the frequency of local habitat loss that in this area is living, recognize how avian haemosporidians affect bird populations it is very important; in addition, more exhaustive sampling is required to fully understand the range of avian haemosporidian infection in this area.

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