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Rodseth E, Sumasgutner P, Tate G, Nilsson JF, Watson H, Maritz MF, Ingle RA, Amar A. Pleiotropic effects of melanin pigmentation: haemoparasite infection intensity but not telomere length is associated with plumage morph in black sparrowhawks. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2024; 11:230370. [PMID: 38577209 PMCID: PMC10987988 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.230370] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2023] [Revised: 09/21/2023] [Accepted: 02/13/2024] [Indexed: 04/06/2024]
Abstract
There is increasing recognition of the potential pleiotropic effects of melanin pigmentation, particularly on immunity, with reports of variation in haemoparasite infection intensity and immune responses between the morphs of colour-polymorphic bird species. In a population of the black sparrowhawk (Accipiter melanoleucus) in western South Africa, light morphs have a higher haemoparasite infection intensity, but no physiological effects of this are apparent. Here, we investigate the possible effects of haemoparasite infection on telomere length in this species and explore whether relative telomere length is associated with either plumage morph or sex. Using quantitative polymerase chain reaction analysis, we confirmed that dark morphs had a lower haemoparasite infection intensity than light morphs. However, we found no differences in telomere length associated with either the haemoparasite infection status or morph in adults, although males have longer telomeres than females. While differences in haemoparasite intensity between morphs are consistent with pleiotropic effects of melanin pigmentation in the black sparrowhawk, we found no evidence that telomere length was associated with haemoparasite infection. Further work is needed to investigate the implications of possible pleiotropic effects of plumage morph and their potential role in the maintenance of colour polymorphism in this species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Edmund Rodseth
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Petra Sumasgutner
- FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
- Konrad Lorenz Research Centre, Department of Behavioural and Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Gareth Tate
- FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
- Birds of Prey Programme, Endangered Wildlife Trust, Midrand, South Africa
| | - Johan F. Nilsson
- Evolutionary Ecology, Department of Biology, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - Hannah Watson
- Evolutionary Ecology, Department of Biology, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - Michelle F. Maritz
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Robert A. Ingle
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Arjun Amar
- FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
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Bosch J, Thumsová B, Puschendorf R, Bielby J. Drivers of Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis infection load, with evidence of infection tolerance in adult male toads (Bufo spinosus). Oecologia 2023; 202:165-174. [PMID: 37147397 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-023-05380-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2022] [Accepted: 04/25/2023] [Indexed: 05/07/2023]
Abstract
Chytridiomycosis is affecting hundreds of amphibian species worldwide, but while in tropical areas, adult individuals have been the focus of most investigations, the exact role played by infection intensity of breeding adults is not well understood in temperate areas. We conducted mark-recapture-capture surveys during spiny common toad breeding seasons from 2006 to 2018 at the site of the first recorded outbreak of chytridiomycosis in Europe, the Peñalara Massif (Sierra de Guadarrama National Park, central Spain), and collected infection samples and several variables related to the reproductive effort of male individuals. We used general linear mixed models to evaluate the contribution of study variables on the infection loads of adult male toads exhibited at their capturing date. We also analysed the differences on several male characteristics between the pond with the largest breeding population against the rest of the ponds. We found that the duration of time spent in the waterbody and the condition of the host predicted infection loads. Animals of good physical condition, that spent longer in water, have higher infection levels than individuals with the opposite set of traits. The pond supporting the largest breeding population housed smaller male toads and in poorer condition. Our results are consistent with a shift in reproductive strategy in response to infection and potentially a strategy of tolerance, rather than resistance to infection. These findings have applications for disease mitigation and theoretical implications related to the trade-offs made and the evolution of traits in response to the disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jaime Bosch
- Biodiversity Research Institute (IMIB), CSIC-University of Oviedo-Principality of Asturias, Mieres, Spain.
- Centro de Investigación, Seguimiento y Evaluación, Parque Nacional de la Sierra de Guadarrama, Rascafría, Spain.
| | - Barbora Thumsová
- Asociación Herpetológica Española (AHE), Madrid, Spain
- Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales-CSIC, Madrid, Spain
| | - Robert Puschendorf
- School of Biological and Marine Sciences, University of Plymouth, Plymouth, UK
| | - Jon Bielby
- School of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, UK
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Remacha C, Ramírez Á, Arriero E, Pérez-Tris J. Haemosporidian infections influence risk-taking behaviours in young male blackcaps, Sylvia atricapilla. Anim Behav 2023. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2022.12.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
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Nwaogu CJ, Amar A, Nebel C, Isaksson C, Hegemann A, Sumasgutner P. Innate immune function and antioxidant capacity of nestlings of an African raptor covary with the level of urbanisation around breeding territories. J Anim Ecol 2023; 92:124-141. [PMID: 36353782 PMCID: PMC10107107 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.13837] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2021] [Accepted: 10/13/2022] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
Urban areas provide breeding habitats for many species. However, animals raised in urban environments face challenges such as altered food availability and quality, pollution and pathogen assemblages. These challenges can affect physiological processes such as immune function and antioxidant defences which are important for fitness. Here, we explore how levels of urbanisation influence innate immune function, immune response to a mimicked bacterial infection and antioxidant capacity of nestling Black Sparrowhawks Accipiter melanoleucus in South Africa. We also explore the effect of timing of breeding and rainfall on physiology since both can influence the environmental condition under which nestlings are raised. Finally, because urbanisation can influence immune function indirectly, we use path analyses to explore direct and indirect associations between urbanisation, immune function and oxidative stress. We obtained measures of innate immunity (haptoglobin, lysis, agglutination, bactericidal capacity), indices of antioxidant capacity (total non-enzymatic antioxidant capacity (tAOX) and total glutathione from nestlings from 2015 to 2019. In addition, in 2018 and 2019, we mimicked a bacterial infection by injecting nestlings with lipopolysaccharide and quantified their immune response. Increased urban cover was associated with an increase in lysis and a decrease in tAOX, but not with any of the other physiological parameters. Furthermore, except for agglutination, no physiological parameters were associated with the timing of breeding. Lysis and bactericidal capacity, however, varied consistently with the annual rainfall pattern. Immune response to a mimicked a bacterial infection decreased with urban cover but not with the timing of breeding nor rainfall. Our path analyses suggested indirect associations between urban cover and some immune indices via tAOX but not via the timing of breeding. Our results show that early-life development in an urban environment is associated with variation in immune and antioxidant functions. The direct association between urbanisation and antioxidant capacity and their impact on immune function is likely an important factor mediating the impact of urbanisation on urban-dwelling animals. Future studies should explore how these results are linked to fitness and whether the responses are adaptive for urban-dwelling species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chima Josiah Nwaogu
- FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology, DST-NRF Centre of Excellence, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Arjun Amar
- FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology, DST-NRF Centre of Excellence, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Carina Nebel
- FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology, DST-NRF Centre of Excellence, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa.,Department of Biology, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
| | | | - Arne Hegemann
- Department of Biology, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - Petra Sumasgutner
- FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology, DST-NRF Centre of Excellence, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa.,Konrad Lorenz Research Centre, Core Facility for Behaviour and Cognition, University of Vienna, Grünau/Almtal, Austria.,Department of Behavioural & Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
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Songbird preen oil odour reflects haemosporidian parasite load. Anim Behav 2022; 188:147-155. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2022.04.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
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ASSESSMENT OF VARIATION IN THE DETECTION AND PREVALENCE OF BLOOD PARASITES AMONG SYMPATRICALLY BREEDING GEESE IN WESTERN ALASKA, USA. J Wildl Dis 2021; 57:799-807. [PMID: 34516650 DOI: 10.7589/jwd-d-20-00159] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2020] [Accepted: 04/26/2021] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Haemosporidian parasites may impact avian health and are subject to shifts in distribution and abundance with changing ecologic conditions. Therefore, understanding variation in parasite prevalence is important for evaluating biologically meaningful changes in infection patterns and associated population level impacts. Previous research in western Alaska, US, indicated a possible increase in Leucocytozoon spp. infection between Emperor Geese (Anser canagicus) sampled in 1996 (<1%, n=134) and during 2011-12 (19.9%, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 3.0-36.8%, n=77); however, different detection methods were used for these estimates. Prior research in this same region identified a lack of Leucocytozoon spp. parasites (0%, n=117) in sympatrically breeding Cackling Geese (Branta hutchinsii minima) in 2011. We molecularly screened blood samples collected from sympatrically breeding Emperor and Cackling Geese in western Alaska during additional breeding seasons to better assess temporal and species-specific variation in the prevalence of blood parasites. We found similar prevalence estimates for Leucocytozoon spp. parasites in Emperor Goose blood samples collected in 1998 and 2014, suggesting consistent infection of Emperor Geese with blood parasites at these time points. Using samples from sympatric geese sampled during 2014, we found evidence for a higher incidence of parasites among Emperor Geese (20.3%, 95% CI: 11.8-32.7%) compared to Cackling Geese (3.6%, 95% CI: 1.1-11.0%), reinforcing the previous finding of species-specific differences in infection. Furthermore, we detected Leucocytozoon, Haemoproteus, and Plasmodium spp. blood parasites in unflighted goslings of both species, supporting the possible transmission of these parasites at western Alaska breeding grounds. Our results help to clarify that prevalence of Leucocytozoon spp. parasites have probably remained consistent among Emperor Geese breeding in western Alaska since the late 1990s and that this species may disproportionally harbor Leucocytozoon spp. compared to sympatrically breeding Cackling Geese.
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Becker DJ, Singh D, Pan Q, Montoure JD, Talbott KM, Wanamaker SM, Ketterson ED. Artificial light at night amplifies seasonal relapse of haemosporidian parasites in a widespread songbird. Proc Biol Sci 2020; 287:20201831. [PMID: 32962545 PMCID: PMC7542808 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2020.1831] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2020] [Accepted: 09/01/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Urban habitats can shape interactions between hosts and parasites by altering not only exposure rates but also within-host processes. Artificial light at night (ALAN) is common in urban environments, and chronic exposure can impair host immunity in ways that may increase infection. However, studies of causal links between this stressor, immunity, and infection dynamics are rare, particularly in migratory animals. Here, we experimentally tested how ALAN affects cellular immunity and haemosporidian parasite intensity across the annual cycle of migrant and resident subspecies of the dark-eyed junco (Junco hyemalis). We monitored an experimental group exposed to light at night and a control group under natural light/dark cycles as they passed through short days simulating early spring to longer days simulating the breeding season, followed by autumn migration. Using generalized additive mixed models, we show that ALAN increased inflammation, and leucocyte counts were greatest in early spring and autumn. At the start of the experiment, few birds had active infections based on microscopy, but PCR revealed many birds had chronic infections. ALAN increased parasitaemia across the annual cycle, with strong peaks in spring and autumn that were largely absent in control birds. As birds were kept in indoor aviaries to prevent vector exposure, this increased parasitaemia indicates relapse of chronic infection during costly life-history stages (i.e. reproduction). Although the immunological and parasitological time series were in phase for control birds, cross-correlation analyses also revealed ALAN desynchronized leucocyte profiles and parasitaemia, which could suggest a general exaggerated inflammatory response. Our study shows how a common anthropogenic influence can shape within-host processes to affect infection dynamics.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Devraj Singh
- Department of Biology, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, USA
- Environmental Resilience Institute, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, USA
| | - Qiuyun Pan
- Department of Biology, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, USA
| | | | | | - Sarah M. Wanamaker
- Department of Biology, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, USA
- Environmental Resilience Institute, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, USA
| | - Ellen D. Ketterson
- Department of Biology, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, USA
- Environmental Resilience Institute, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, USA
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Physiological and morphological correlates of blood parasite infection in urban and non-urban house sparrow populations. PLoS One 2020; 15:e0237170. [PMID: 32813710 PMCID: PMC7437892 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0237170] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2020] [Accepted: 07/21/2020] [Indexed: 02/03/2023] Open
Abstract
In the last decade, house sparrow populations have shown a general decline, especially in cities. Avian malaria has been recently suggested as one of the potential causes of this decline, and its detrimental effects could be exacerbated in urban habitats. It was initially thought that avian malaria parasites would not have large negative effects on wild birds because of their long co-evolution with their hosts. However, it is now well-documented that they can have detrimental effects at both the primo- and chronical infection stages. In this study, we examined avian malaria infection and its physiological and morphological consequences in four populations of wild house sparrows (2 urban and 2 rural). We did not find any relationship between the proportions of infected individuals and the urbanisation score calculated for our populations. However, we observed that the proportion of infected individuals increased during the course of the season, and that juveniles were less infected than adults. We did not detect a strong effect of malaria infection on physiological, morphological and condition indexes. Complex parasite dynamics and the presence of confounding factors could have masked the potential effects of infection. Thus, longitudinal and experimental studies are needed to understand the evolutionary ecology of this very common, but still poorly understood, wild bird parasite.
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Comas M. Body condition, sex and elevation in relation to mite parasitism in a high mountain gecko. J Zool (1987) 2019. [DOI: 10.1111/jzo.12751] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- M. Comas
- Estación Biológica de Doñana (EBD) Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) Sevilla Spain
- Department of Zoology Faculty of Science Universidad de Granada Granada Spain
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