Ectoparasite sharing among native and invasive birds in a metropolitan area

Mori, Elisa; Sala, Jordi; Fattorini, Niccolò; Menchetti, Mattia; Montalvo, Tomás; Señar, Juan Carlos

doi:10.1007/s00436-018-6174-2

Cited by 20 publications

(31 citation statements)

References 54 publications

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“…A priori, the absence of competent insect vectors in the area or their inability to bite Monk parakeets could also explain the absence of Plasmodium infections. However, invasive populations of Monk parakeets are affected by different arthropod ectoparasites in the invaded areas [27,57,58], including blood-sucking mosquitoes [30]. Monk parakeets are hosts of mosquitoes including Cs.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Monk parakeets were sampled in ten sampling sites covering six of the ten districts of Barcelona, focusing on the districts with a higher density of birds (see [27]). Adult plumaged Monk parakeets were captured from 2014 to 2015 using a special Yunick Platform Trap placed at the Natural History Museum of Barcelona (Ciutadella Park) and using pre-baited clap nets at the other localities (see [32] for details of the trapping procedures).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In the invaded areas, Monk parakeets produce economic costs due to the damage to human infrastructures and agriculture [24,25]. Moreover, as is the case for other parrot species, Monk parakeets may be involved in the transmission of pathogens and parasites, causing diseases in humans and other animals [19,26,27].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Do Invasive Mosquito and Bird Species Alter Avian Malaria Parasite Transmission?

et al. 2020

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Alien mosquito and vertebrate host species may create novel epidemiological scenarios for the transmission of pathogens naturally circulating in the invaded area. The exotic Monk parakeet (Myiopsitta monachus) has established populations in Europe and is currently considered an invasive pest. Due to their high abundance in urban areas, Monk parakeets could be involved in the transmission of pathogens, potentially affecting wildlife and livestock. To test this hypothesis, we determined the prevalence and diversity of three vector-borne parasites, namely Plasmodium, Haemoproteus and Leucocytozoon, in Monk parakeets from Barcelona. Many areas of southern Europe shelter high densities of the invasive Asian tiger mosquito Aedes albopictus, which in addition to native mosquito species could affect the transmission of mosquito-borne parasites, such as avian Plasmodium. Thus, we also sampled mosquitoes in the area to trace their blood-feeding hosts and determine the presence of Plasmodium parasites. Monk parakeets were neither infected by Plasmodium nor by Haemoproteus parasites, and only five individuals (3.13%; n = 160) were infected by Leucocytozoon. Monk parakeets were bitten by Culiseta longiareolata and represented 9.5% of Culex pipiens blood meals. The invasive Ae. albopictus showed a clear anthropophilic feeding pattern, with humans dominating its diet. Three Plasmodium lineages were detected in pools of Cx pipiens. These results suggest that Plasmodium circulating in the area cannot develop in the invasive Monk parakeet, in spite of the relatively high fraction of native mosquito vectors feeding on this species in its invaded distribution range.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Do Invasive Mosquito and Bird Species Alter Avian Malaria Parasite Transmission?

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“…Encounter‐dilution effects that cause a negative relationship between the density of a certain host species and parasite abundance are also common in more generalist ectoparasites, where other host species also provide resources (Krasnov, Stanko, & Morand, ; Figure d). Regardless, significant positive associations between host and parasite density have been recorded for a number of species (Arneberg, Skorping, Grenfell, & Read, ; Krasnov, Khokhlova, & Shenbrot, ; Mori et al, ; Young et al, ); often these associations are strongest when the host in question is obligatory or preferred (i.e. for specialized parasites), especially where any host species used in other life stages are either abundant (and therefore not limiting) or not required (Arneberg, ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Although host density is expected to play an important role in regulating parasite abundance (Anderson & May, 1978), relationships between host density and parasite abundance are not always straightforward. Many tick species utilize multiple hosts, and parasite prevalence and abundance on a given host may be driven by the density or habitat use of other host species (Mori et al, 2019;Wilson, Ducey, Litwin, Gavin, & Spielman, 1990). Encounter-dilution effects that cause a negative relationship between the density of a certain host species and parasite abundance are also common in more generalist ectoparasites, where other host species also provide resources (Krasnov, Stanko, & Morand, 2007; Figure 1d).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Urbanization and translocation disrupt the relationship between host density and parasite abundance

DeVore

Shine

Ducatez

2020

Journal of Animal Ecology

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The species interactions that structure natural communities are increasingly disrupted by radical habitat change resulting from the widespread processes of urbanization and species translocations. Although many species are disadvantaged by these changes, others thrive in these new environments, achieving densities that exceed those in natural habitats. Often the same species that benefit from urbanization are successful invaders in introduced habitats, suggesting that similar processes promote these species in both environments. Both processes may especially benefit certain species by modifying their interactions with harmful parasites (‘enemy release’). To detect such modifications, we first need to identify the mechanisms underlying host–parasite associations in natural populations, then test whether they are disrupted in cities and introduced habitats. We studied the interaction between the cane toad Rhinella marina, a globally invasive species native to South America, and its Amblyomma ticks. Our field study of 642 cane toads across 46 sites within their native range in French Guiana revealed that 56% of toads carried ticks, and that toads with ticks were in poor body condition relative to uninfected conspecifics. Across natural and disturbed habitats tick prevalence and abundance increased with toad density, but this association was disrupted in the urban environment, where tick abundance remained low even where toad densities were high, and prevalence decreased with density. Reductions in the abundance of ticks in urban habitats may be attributable to pesticides (which are sprayed for mosquito control but are also lethal to ticks), and our literature review shows that tick abundance is generally lower in cane toads from urban habitats across South America. In the invasive range, ticks were either absent (in 1,960 toads from Puerto Rico, Hawai'i, Japan and Australia) or less abundant (in Florida and the Caribbean; literature review). The positive relationship between host density and parasite abundance is thought to be a key mechanism through which parasites regulate host populations; anthropogenic processes that disrupt this relationship may allow populations in urban and introduced habitats to persist at densities that would otherwise lead to severe impacts from parasites.

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Introduced predators and nest competitors shape distribution and breeding performance of seabirds: feral pigeons as a new threat

Rodríguez

Sivério³

et al. 2022

Biol Invasions

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Petrels are particularly sensitive to predation by introduced species. Many populations have reduced their breeding ranges, currently mainly occupying predator-free sites. Breeding range reduction leads to interspecific competition for nesting sites, which can be detrimental to petrels. Here, we evaluate how the presence of introduced mammals (cats Felis catus and rats Rattus spp.) and potential competitors for nest sites (Cory’s shearwaters Calonectris borealis and feral rock pigeons Columba livia) shape the distribution, breeding density, and breeding performance of Bulwer’s petrel Bulweria bulwerii on Tenerife, the largest and most densely human populated of the Canary Islands. We estimated nest density, assessed the role of nest location and physical characteristics of nests on breeding success, and determined causes of breeding failure by introduced predators and competitors. Nest density was higher in predator-free colonies on marine rocks. Cat presence was the best predictor of nest density, but it was not correlated with either presence or abundance of competitors. Breeding success varied between years and colonies but was not related to nest characteristics. Pigeon competition for nests was the most frequent cause of breeding failure (7.3%), followed by rat predation (6.3%). We also compared petrel and pigeon nest cavities and found considerable overlap in the physical size of nest sites. Our study provides insights into an overlooked impact of the invasive rock pigeon: nest competition with small seabirds. We encourage more research on the effects of pigeons on nest density, as well as disease and pathogen transmission, and vegetation changes within seabird colonies.

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Ectoparasite sharing among native and invasive birds in a metropolitan area

Cited by 20 publications

References 54 publications

Do Invasive Mosquito and Bird Species Alter Avian Malaria Parasite Transmission?

Do Invasive Mosquito and Bird Species Alter Avian Malaria Parasite Transmission?

Urbanization and translocation disrupt the relationship between host density and parasite abundance

Introduced predators and nest competitors shape distribution and breeding performance of seabirds: feral pigeons as a new threat

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