scholarly journals Host Phylogeny Matters: Examining Sources of Variation in Infection Risk by Blood Parasites Across a Tropical Montane Bird Community in India

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pooja Gupta ◽  
C.K. Vishnudas ◽  
V.V. Robin ◽  
Guha Dharmarajan
Keyword(s):  
Phylogenetic Relationships ◽  
Phylogenetic Signal ◽  
Infection Risk ◽  
Bird Communities ◽  
Blood Parasites ◽  
Ecological Traits ◽  
Mixed Effect ◽  
Ecological Predictors ◽  
Mitochondrial Cytochrome B ◽  
Host Phylogeny

Abstract Background: Identifying patterns and drivers of infection risk among host communities is crucial to elucidate disease dynamics and predict infectious disease risk in wildlife populations. Blood parasites of genera Plasmodium and Haemoproteus are a diverse group of vector-borne protozoan parasites that affected bird populations globally. Despite their widespread distribution and exceptional diversity, factors underlying haemosporidian infection risk in wild bird communities remain poorly understood. While some studies have examined variation in avian haemosporidian risk, researchers have primarily focused on host ecological traits without considering host phylogenetic relationships. In this study, we employ a phylogenetically informed approach to examine the association between host ecological traits and avian haemosporidian infection risk in endemic bird communities in the Western Ghats Sky Islands.Methods: We collected blood samples from 1177 birds (28 species) and amplified partial parasite mitochondrial cytochrome b gene to identify avian haemosporidian infection and characterized unique haemosporidian lineages by sequencing. We employed a Bayesian phylogenetic mixed effect modelling approach to test the association between seven species specific ecological predictors, four individual level predictors and avian haemosporidian infection risk. We also examined the effect of host phylogenetic relationships on the observed patterns of variation in haemosporidian infection risk by estimating phylogenetic signal.Results: Our study shows that effects of host ecological traits and host phylogeny on infection risk vary for Plasmodium (generalist parasite) vs. Haemoproteus (specialist parasite). For Plasmodium, we found that sociality, sexual dimorphism and feeding strata were important ecological predictors. For Haemoproteus, patterns of infection risk among host species were associated with sociality, elevation and individual body condition. Interestingly, variance in infection risk explained by host phylogeny was higher for Haemoproteus parasites compared to Plasmodium. Conclusion: Our study highlights that while host ecological traits promoting parasite exposure and host susceptibility are important determinants of infection risk, host phylogeny also contributes substantially in predicting patterns of avian haemosporidian infection risk among host communities. Importantly, infection risk is driven by joint contributions of host ecology and host phylogeny and studying these effects together could increase our ability to better understand the drivers of infection risk and predict future disease threats.

scholarly journals Host phylogeny matters: Examining sources of variation in infection risk by blood parasites across a tropical montane bird community in India

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pooja Gupta ◽  
C.K. Vishnudas ◽  
V.V. Robin ◽  
Guha Dharmarajan
Keyword(s):  
Phylogenetic Relationships ◽  
Western Ghats ◽  
Infection Risk ◽  
Bird Communities ◽  
Blood Parasites ◽  
Ecological Traits ◽  
Ecological Predictors ◽  
Mitochondrial Cytochrome B ◽  
Host Phylogeny ◽  
The Western Ghats

Abstract Background: Identifying patterns and drivers of infection risk among host communities is crucial to elucidate disease dynamics and predict infectious disease risk in wildlife populations. Blood parasites of genera Plasmodium and Haemoproteus are a diverse group of vector-borne protozoan parasites that affect bird populations globally. Despite their widespread distribution and exceptional diversity, factors underlying haemosporidian infection risk in wild bird communities remain poorly understood. While some studies have examined variation in avian haemosporidian risk, researchers have primarily focused on host ecological traits without considering host phylogenetic relationships. In this study, we employ a phylogenetically informed approach to examine the association between host ecological traits and haemosporidian infection risk in endemic bird communities in the Western Ghats Sky Islands.Methods: We used parasite sequence data based on partial mitochondrial cytochrome b gene, that was amplified from genomic DNA extracted from 1177 birds (28 species) across the Western Ghats to assess infection of birds with haemosporidian parasites. We employed a Bayesian phylogenetic mixed effect modelling approach to test whether haemosporidian infection risk was affected by seven species-specific and four individual level ecological predictors. We also examined the effect of host phylogenetic relationships on the observed patterns of variation in haemosporidian infection risk by estimating phylogenetic signal.Results: Our study shows that host ecological traits and host phylogeny differentially influence infection risk by Plasmodium (generalist parasite) and Haemoproteus (specialist parasite). For Plasmodium, we found that sociality, sexual dimorphism and feeding strata were important ecological predictors. For Haemoproteus, patterns of infection risk among host species were associated with sociality, elevation and individual body condition. Interestingly, variance in infection risk explained by host phylogeny was higher for Haemoproteus parasites compared to Plasmodium. Conclusion: Our study highlights that while host ecological traits promoting parasite exposure and host susceptibility are important determinants of infection risk, host phylogeny also contributes substantially to predicting patterns of haemosporidian infection risk in multi- host communities. Importantly, infection risk is driven by joint contributions of host ecology and host phylogeny and studying these effects together could increase our ability to better understand the drivers of infection risk and predict future disease threats.

scholarly journals Host phylogeny matters: examining sources of variation in infection risk by blood parasites across a tropical montane bird community in India

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pooja Gupta ◽  
C.K. Vishnudas ◽  
V.V. Robin ◽  
Guha Dharmarajan
Keyword(s):  
Phylogenetic Relationships ◽  
Western Ghats ◽  
Infection Risk ◽  
Bird Communities ◽  
Blood Parasites ◽  
Ecological Traits ◽  
Mixed Effect ◽  
Ecological Predictors ◽  
Host Phylogeny ◽  
The Western Ghats

Abstract Background: Identifying patterns and drivers of infection risk among host communities is crucial to elucidate disease dynamics and predict infectious disease risk in wildlife populations. Blood parasites of the genera Plasmodium and Haemoproteus are a diverse group of vector-borne protozoan parasites that affect bird populations globally. Despite their widespread distribution and exceptional diversity, factors underlying haemosporidian infection risk in wild bird communities remain poorly understood. While some studies have examined variation in avian haemosporidian risk, researchers have primarily focused on host ecological traits without considering host phylogenetic relationships. In this study, we employ a phylogenetically informed approach to examine the association between host ecological traits and haemosporidian infection risk in endemic bird communities in the Western Ghats Sky Islands.Methods: We used parasite sequence data based on partial mitochondrial cytochrome b gene, that was amplified from genomic DNA extracted from 1177 birds (28 species) across the Western Ghats to assess infection of birds with haemosporidian parasites. We employed a Bayesian phylogenetic mixed effect modelling approach to test whether haemosporidian infection risk was affected by seven species-specific and four individual-level ecological predictors. We also examined the effect of host phylogenetic relationships on the observed patterns of variation in haemosporidian infection risk by estimating phylogenetic signal.Results: Our study shows that host ecological traits and host phylogeny differentially influence infection risk by Plasmodium (generalist parasite) and Haemoproteus (specialist parasite). For Plasmodium, we found that sociality, sexual dimorphism and foraging strata were important ecological predictors. For Haemoproteus, patterns of infection risk among host species were associated with sociality, species elevation and individual body condition. Interestingly, variance in infection risk explained by host phylogeny was higher for Haemoproteus parasites compared to Plasmodium. Conclusions: Our study highlights that while host ecological traits promoting parasite exposure and host susceptibility are important determinants of infection risk, host phylogeny also contributes substantially to predicting patterns of haemosporidian infection risk in multi-host communities. Importantly, infection risk is driven by joint contributions of host ecology and host phylogeny and studying these effects together could increase our ability to better understand the drivers of infection risk and predict future disease threats.

scholarly journals Host phylogeny matters: Examining sources of variation in infection risk by blood parasites across a tropical montane bird community in India

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pooja Gupta ◽  
C.K. Vishnudas ◽  
V.V. Robin ◽  
Guha Dharmarajan
Keyword(s):  
Phylogenetic Relationships ◽  
Western Ghats ◽  
Infection Risk ◽  
Bird Communities ◽  
Blood Parasites ◽  
Ecological Traits ◽  
Ecological Predictors ◽  
Mitochondrial Cytochrome B ◽  
Host Phylogeny ◽  
The Western Ghats

Abstract Background: Identifying patterns and drivers of infection risk among host communities is crucial to elucidate disease dynamics and predict infectious disease risk in wildlife populations. Blood parasites of genera Plasmodium and Haemoproteus are a diverse group of vector-borne protozoan parasites that affect bird populations globally. Despite their widespread distribution and exceptional diversity, factors underlying haemosporidian infection risk in wild bird communities remain poorly understood. While some studies have examined variation in avian haemosporidian risk, researchers have primarily focused on host ecological traits without considering host phylogenetic relationships. In this study, we employ a phylogenetically informed approach to examine the association between host ecological traits and haemosporidian infection risk in endemic bird communities in the Western Ghats Sky Islands.Methods: We used parasite sequence data based on partial mitochondrial cytochrome b gene, that was amplified from genomic DNA extracted from 1177 birds (28 species) across the Western Ghats to assess infection of birds with haemosporidian parasites. We employed a Bayesian phylogenetic mixed effect modelling approach to test whether haemosporidian infection risk was affected by seven species-specific and four individual level ecological predictors. We also examined the effect of host phylogenetic relationships on the observed patterns of variation in haemosporidian infection risk by estimating phylogenetic signal.Results: Our study shows that host ecological traits and host phylogeny differentially influence infection risk by Plasmodium (generalist parasite) and Haemoproteus (specialist parasite). For Plasmodium, we found that sociality, sexual dimorphism and feeding strata were important ecological predictors. For Haemoproteus, patterns of infection risk among host species were associated with sociality, elevation and individual body condition. Interestingly, variance in infection risk explained by host phylogeny was higher for Haemoproteus parasites compared to Plasmodium. Conclusion: Our study highlights that while host ecological traits promoting parasite exposure and host susceptibility are important determinants of infection risk, host phylogeny also contributes substantially to predicting patterns of haemosporidian infection risk in multi- host communities. Importantly, infection risk is driven by joint contributions of host ecology and host phylogeny and studying these effects together could increase our ability to better understand the drivers of infection risk and predict future disease threats.

scholarly journals Host phylogeny matters: Examining sources of variation in infection risk by blood parasites across a tropical montane bird community in India

2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Pooja Gupta ◽  
C. K. Vishnudas ◽  
V. V. Robin ◽  
Guha Dharmarajan
Keyword(s):  
Phylogenetic Relationships ◽  
Western Ghats ◽  
Infection Risk ◽  
Bird Communities ◽  
Blood Parasites ◽  
Ecological Traits ◽  
Mixed Effect ◽  
Ecological Predictors ◽  
Host Phylogeny ◽  
The Western Ghats

Abstract Background Identifying patterns and drivers of infection risk among host communities is crucial to elucidate disease dynamics and predict infectious disease risk in wildlife populations. Blood parasites of the genera Plasmodium and Haemoproteus are a diverse group of vector-borne protozoan parasites that affect bird populations globally. Despite their widespread distribution and exceptional diversity, factors underlying haemosporidian infection risk in wild bird communities remain poorly understood. While some studies have examined variation in avian haemosporidian risk, researchers have primarily focused on host ecological traits without considering host phylogenetic relationships. In this study, we employ a phylogenetically informed approach to examine the association between host ecological traits and haemosporidian infection risk in endemic bird communities in the Western Ghats Sky Islands. Methods We used parasite sequence data based on partial mitochondrial cytochrome b gene, that was amplified from genomic DNA extracted from 1177 birds (28 species) across the Western Ghats to assess infection of birds with haemosporidian parasites. We employed a Bayesian phylogenetic mixed effect modelling approach to test whether haemosporidian infection risk was affected by seven species-specific and four individual-level ecological predictors. We also examined the effect of host phylogenetic relationships on the observed patterns of variation in haemosporidian infection risk by estimating phylogenetic signal. Results Our study shows that host ecological traits and host phylogeny differentially influence infection risk by Plasmodium (generalist parasite) and Haemoproteus (specialist parasite). For Plasmodium, we found that sociality, sexual dimorphism and foraging strata were important ecological predictors. For Haemoproteus, patterns of infection risk among host species were associated with sociality, species elevation and individual body condition. Interestingly, variance in infection risk explained by host phylogeny was higher for Haemoproteus parasites compared to Plasmodium. Conclusions Our study highlights that while host ecological traits promoting parasite exposure and host susceptibility are important determinants of infection risk, host phylogeny also contributes substantially to predicting patterns of haemosporidian infection risk in multi-host communities. Importantly, infection risk is driven by joint contributions of host ecology and host phylogeny and studying these effects together could increase our ability to better understand the drivers of infection risk and predict future disease threats. Graphical abstract

scholarly journals Correction to: Host phylogeny matters: Examining sources of variation in infection risk by blood parasites across a tropical montane bird community in India

2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Pooja Gupta ◽  
C. K. Vishnudas ◽  
V. V. Robin ◽  
Guha Dharmarajan
Keyword(s):  
Bird Community ◽  
Infection Risk ◽  
Blood Parasites ◽  
Host Phylogeny ◽  
Sources Of Variation

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via the original article.

Blood parasites of bird communities in Sri Lanka and their mosquito vectors

2021 ◽  
Vol 120 (2) ◽  
pp. 693-703
Author(s):  
W. G. D. Chathuranga ◽  
B. R. Fernando ◽  
T. C. Weereratne ◽  
S. H. P. P. Karunaratne ◽  
W. A. Priyanka P. De Silva
Keyword(s):  
Sri Lanka ◽  
Bird Communities ◽  
Blood Parasites ◽  
Mosquito Vectors

scholarly journals Behaviour of cranes (family Gruidae) mirrors their phylogenetic relationships

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nela Nováková ◽  
Jan Robovský
Keyword(s):  
Phylogenetic Relationships ◽  
Phylogenetic Signal ◽  
Species Level ◽  
Monophyletic Group ◽  
Molecular Tree ◽  
Behavioural Repertoire ◽  
Over Time

Abstract Background The behavioural repertoire of every species evolved over time and its evolution can be traced through the phylogenetic relationships in distinct groups. Cranes (family Gruidae) represent a small, old, monophyletic group with well-corroborated phylogenetic relationships on the species level, and at the same time they exhibit a complex and well-described behavioural repertoire. Methods We therefore investigated the evolution of behavioural traits of cranes in a phylogenetic context using several phylogenetic approaches and two types of trait scoring. The cranes exhibit more than a hundred behavioural displays, almost one third of which may be phylogenetically informative. Results More than half of the analysed traits carry a significant phylogenetic signal. The ancestor of cranes already exhibited a quite complex behavioural repertoire, which remained unchanged in Balearicinae but altered greatly in Gruinae, specifically by the shedding of traits rather than their creation. Trait scoring has an influence on results within the Gruinae, primarily in genera Bugeranus and Anthropoides. Conclusions Albeit the behavioural traits alone cannot be used for resolving species-level relationships within the Gruidae, when optimized on molecular tree, they can help us to detect interesting evolutionary transformations of behaviour repertoire within Gruiformes. The Limpkin (Aramus guarauna) seems to be the most enigmatic species and should be studied in detail for its behavioural repertoire, which may include some precursors of crane behavioural traits.

Phylogeny of the Styracaceae Revisited Based on Whole Plastome Sequences, Including Novel Plastome Data from Parastyrax

2021 ◽  
Vol 46 (1) ◽  
pp. 162-174
Author(s):  
Ming-Hui Yan ◽  
Chun-Yang Li ◽  
Peter W. Fritsch ◽  
Jie Cai ◽  
Heng-Chang Wang
Keyword(s):  
Phylogenetic Relationships ◽  
Phylogenetic Signal ◽  
Strong Support ◽  
Single Copy ◽  
Rrna Genes ◽  
Trna Genes ◽  
Protein Coding ◽  
Protein Coding Genes ◽  
The Family ◽  
Small Single Copy

Abstract—The phylogenetic relationships among 11 out of the 12 genera of the angiosperm family Styracaceae have been largely resolved with DNA sequence data based on all protein-coding genes of the plastome. The only genus that has not been phylogenomically investigated in the family with molecular data is the monotypic genus Parastyrax, which is extremely rare in the wild and difficult to collect. To complete the sampling of the genera comprising the Styracaceae, examine the plastome composition of Parastyrax, and further explore the phylogenetic relationships of the entire family, we sequenced the whole plastome of P. lacei and incorporated it into the Styracaceae dataset for phylogenetic analysis. Similar to most others in the family, the plastome is 158189 bp in length and contains a large single-copy region of 88085 bp and a small single-copy region of 18540 bp separated by two inverted-repeat regions of 25781 bp each. A total of 113 genes was predicted, including 79 protein-coding genes, 30 tRNA genes, and four rRNA genes. Phylogenetic relationships among all 12 genera of the family were constructed with 79 protein-coding genes. Consistent with a previous study, Styrax, Huodendron, and a clade of Alniphyllum + Bruinsmia were successively sister to the remainder of the family. Parastyrax was strongly supported as sister to an internal clade comprising seven other genera of the family, whereas Halesia and Pterostyrax were both recovered as polyphyletic, as in prior studies. However, when we employed either the whole plastome or the large- or small-single copy regions as datasets, Pterostyrax was resolved as monophyletic with 100% support, consistent with expectations based on morphology and indicating that non-coding regions of the Styracaceae plastome contain informative phylogenetic signal. Conversely Halesia was still resolved as polyphyletic but with novel strong support.

The sponge genetree server—providing a phylogenetic backbone for poriferan evolutionary studies

Zootaxa ◽  
2008 ◽  
Vol 1939 (1) ◽  
pp. 58-60 ◽  
Author(s):  
DIRK ERPENBECK ◽  
OLIVER VOIGT ◽  
MEHMET GÜLTAS ◽  
GERT WÖRHEIDE
Keyword(s):  
Phylogenetic Relationships ◽  
Population Studies ◽  
Phylogenetic Signal ◽  
Careful Evaluation ◽  
Evolutionary Studies ◽  
Individual Project ◽  
Dna Sequence Markers ◽  
Species Assignment ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
Selection Of

Unravelling the phylogenetic relationships of sponges (Phylum Porifera) is an important as well as challenging task. It helps the understanding of character evolution among early branching metazoans but also aids in bioprospecting for valuable bioactive sponge compounds. However, the phylogenetic relationships among Porifera are largely unsolved, because the simple poriferan bauplan frequently prevents unambiguous taxonomic species assignment and a clear definition of morphological synapomorphies is difficult (see e.g. Boury-Esnault 2006). DNA sequence markers are frequently employed to overcome morphological shortcomings in phylogeny (e.g. Kelly Borges et al. 1991) and taxonomy (e.g. DNA barcoding, see Wörheide & Erpenbeck 2007). However, some DNA markers suffer from insufficient phylogenetic signal (see e.g. Duran et al. 2004 and Wörheide 2006 on CO1 in population studies) and unequal evolutionary rates among taxa (see e.g. Erpenbeck et al. 2004 on 28S in Haplosclerida). Therefore, a careful evaluation and selection of molecular markers for each individual project is required.

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