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

Jones, S.; Cumming, Graeme S.; Peters, Jeffrey L.

doi:10.1017/s0031182018000665

Cited by 8 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 55 publications

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“…However, regarding malaria parasite evenness, we found that different lineages were more evenly distributed in Southwest Amazon moist forests, in addition to the Sechura desert and Peruvian Yungas. On the contrary, Iquitos várzea and Ucayali moist forests revealed a less homogeneous parasite community, which could be related to the parasite strategies (specialists–generalists) in heterogeneous host communities ( Jones et al 2018 ). Regarding the composition and richness of parasite communities, we have obtained similar results to those shown by Lacorte et al (2013) , who found the same pattern for both bird and parasite communities.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

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

et al. 2021

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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.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

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

et al. 2021

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“…Finally, we found that different lineages were more evenly distributed in urban areas, while those of hill areas and paddy fields had a more heterogeneous parasite community, which could be related to the parasite strategies (specialists-generalists) in heterogeneous host communities [122]. Evenness is, therefore, an important factor to consider when analyzing communities since it may give a general sense about how parasite lineages or host species are distributed among different areas [123].…”

Section: Anthropic Disturbance and Avian Haemosporidian Infectionmentioning

confidence: 90%

Prevalence and Diversity of Avian Haemosporidians May Vary with Anthropogenic Disturbance in Tropical Habitats in Myanmar

et al. 2021

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Avian malaria and related haemosporidians (genera Haemoproteus, Plasmodium and Leucocytozoon) infect most clades of bird. Although these parasites are present in almost all continents, they have been irregularly studied across different geographical regions. Despite the high bird diversity in Asia, the diversity of avian haemosporidians in this region is largely unknown. Moreover, anthropogenic changes to habitats in tropical regions may have a profound impact on the overall composition of haemosporidian communities. Here we analyzed the diversity and host association of bird haemosporidians from areas with different degrees of anthropogenic disturbance in Myanmar, revealing an unexplored diversity of these parasites (27% of newly-discovered haemosporidian lineages, and 64% of new records of host–parasite assemblages) in these tropical environments. This newly discovered diversity will be valuable for detecting host range and transmission areas of haemosporidian parasites. We also found slightly higher haemosporidian prevalence and diversity in birds from paddy fields than in individuals from urban areas and hills, thus implying that human alteration of natural environments may affect the dynamics of vector-borne diseases. These outcomes provide valuable insights for biodiversity conservation management in threatened tropical ecosystems.

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“…Plasmodium lineage Swa43 ( Table S3 ) which was incidentally recovered from brood-parasitic Long-tailed Paradise Whydah ( Vidua paradisaea ) and Dusky Indigobird ( Vidua funerea ) commonly infected Village Weavers and other species of Ploceidae. This conclusion is further supported by evidence from avian communities in South Africa where Plasmodium parasites were characterized by a wide host-breadth ( Jones et al, 2018 ). However, some Haemoproteus and Leucocytozoon lineages (Swa61 and Swa09, respectively) were exclusively recovered in Viduidae, suggesting that low prevalence in these genera may not be produced by the loss of host-specific parasite lineages.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 55%

“…Another possible explanation for the low observed prevalence of haemosporidia in Viduidae compared to other host species examined in this study is their low population densities within savanna ecosystems in northeastern Eswatini ( Monadjem, 2005 ). Host density has been shown to significantly affect the propagation of pathogens through host communities, where common species may be characterized by increased contact rates that ultimately result in a higher observed prevalence than rare species ( Ellis et al, 2017 ; Jones et al, 2018 ). However, Fecchio et al (2017) did not find a correlation between host density and prevalence of Plasmodium in avian assemblages in southern Amazonia.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Is it best on the nest? Effects of avian life-history on haemosporidian parasitism

Ganser

Monadjem

McCleery

et al. 2020

International Journal for Parasitology: Parasites and Wildlife

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Infectious diseases vary in prevalence and pathology among host species. Species may differ in prevalence of infection due to varying exposure and susceptibility to disease agents throughout their lifetime, which may be attributable to underlying differences in their phenology, physiology and behavior. A recently growing body of literature has focused on the utility of host life-history traits to provide mechanistic explanations for interspecific variation in host-parasite associations. In this study, we utilized diverse avian and haemosporidian assemblages in an African savanna to evaluate the link between haemosporidia prevalence ( Plasmodium , Haemoproteus , Leucocytozoon ) and avian life-history traits such as body size, mating system, nest care and nest structure. We found that variation of haemosporidia prevalence was consistent with life-history traits that pertain to the reproduction of avian host. Nest care was the single most important predictor of infection status. In birds with shared and female-only nest care, the expected rates of parasitism were between 8- and 12-fold higher than in avian brood parasites that provide no nest care. This finding supports the hypothesis that parental care is an evolutionarily costly life-history trait that increases species' risk of infection with vector-borne diseases. The influence of other host traits (nest structure, body size) was less consistent suggesting that differences in the vectors’ ecology and host-seeking behavior produce variable patterns of parasitism among haemosporidia genera. Nest structure influenced infection with Haemoproteus and Leucocytozoon only. Leucocytozoon infections were associated with ground-nesting birds, while Haemoproteus infections were associated with birds that build open nest structures. Body size was an important predictor of Leucocytozoon infections, particularly large-bodied birds like guineafowl and doves, which exhibited high prevalences.

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

Cited by 8 publications

References 55 publications

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

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

Prevalence and Diversity of Avian Haemosporidians May Vary with Anthropogenic Disturbance in Tropical Habitats in Myanmar

Is it best on the nest? Effects of avian life-history on haemosporidian parasitism

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