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de Angeli Dutra D, Rodrigues RA, Pichorim M, Moreira PDA, Braga ÉM. Does host migration affect host-parasite interaction? Migrant birds harbor exclusive parasites but have similar roles in parasite-host networks. Oecologia 2024:10.1007/s00442-024-05603-1. [PMID: 39102022 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-024-05603-1] [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: 04/11/2024] [Accepted: 07/26/2024] [Indexed: 08/06/2024]
Abstract
Parasites comprise a substantial portion of global biodiversity and play critical roles in shaping ecosystems by modulating trophic networks and affecting their hosts' abundance and distribution. The dynamics of host migration introduce new complexity to these relationships. From the host perspective, migratory behavior can either act as a defense mechanism or augment exposure to a broader spectrum of pathogens. Conversely, for parasites, host migration represents a mechanism for their dispersion and an opportunity to infect new host species. This study investigates the complex interplay between migration and parasite-host interactions, focusing on the interaction between hosts and avian malaria and malaria-like parasites in the Brazilian Atlantic Rain Forest. We captured 1466 birds representing 70 different species, uncovering 322 infections with Plasmodium/Haemoproteus parasites. We observed variations in migration timing and fluctuations in host abundance across months. By comparing the observed patterns of interaction of migratory and non-migratory birds to patterns of interaction expected at random, we show that migration affects the roles hosts take in the parasite-host network. Interestingly, despite the fact migratory species hosted more exclusive and distinct parasites, migrants did not occupy central network positions, which are mostly occupied by resident birds. Overall, we highlight the role of resident birds as a key species within parasite-host communities and the high specialization among avian haemosporidians and their hosts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniela de Angeli Dutra
- Department of Zoology, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand.
- Department of Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, USA.
| | - Raquel Andrade Rodrigues
- Departamento de Parasitologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
| | - Mauro Pichorim
- Departamento de Botânica E Zoologia, Ciências de Biociências, Universidade Federal Do Rio Grande Do Norte, Natal, Brazil
| | - Patrícia de Abreu Moreira
- Departamento de Biodiversidade, Evolução E Meio Ambiente, Instituto de Ciências Exatas E Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto, Ouro Preto, Brazil
| | - Érika Martins Braga
- Departamento de Parasitologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
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Steen VA, Duarte A, Peterson JT. An evaluation of multistate occupancy models for estimating relative abundance and population trends. Ecol Modell 2023. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2023.110303] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/11/2023]
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Aguiar de Souza Penha V, Maia Chaves Bicalho Domingos F, Fecchio A, Bell JA, Weckstein JD, Ricklefs RE, Braga EM, de Abreu Moreira P, Soares L, Latta S, Tolesano-Pascoli G, Alquezar RD, Del-Claro K, Manica LT. Haemosporidian parasites and incubation period influence plumage coloration in tanagers (Passeriformes: Thraupidae). Proc Biol Sci 2022; 289:20221283. [PMID: 36416043 PMCID: PMC9682435 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2022.1283] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2022] [Accepted: 10/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Birds are highly visually oriented and use plumage coloration as an important signalling trait in social communication. Hence, males and females may have different patterns of plumage coloration, a phenomenon known as sexual dichromatism. Because males tend to have more complex plumages, sexual dichromatism is usually attributed to female choice. However, plumage coloration is partly condition-dependent; therefore, other selective pressures affecting individuals' success may also drive the evolution of this trait. Here, we used tanagers as model organisms to study the relationships between dichromatism and plumage coloration complexity in tanagers with parasitism by haemosporidians, investment in reproduction and life-history traits. We screened blood samples from 2849 individual birds belonging to 52 tanager species to detect haemosporidian parasites. We used publicly available data for plumage coloration, bird phylogeny and life-history traits to run phylogenetic generalized least-square models of plumage dichromatism and complexity in male and female tanagers. We found that plumage dichromatism was more pronounced in bird species with a higher prevalence of haemosporidian parasites. Lastly, high plumage coloration complexity in female tanagers was associated with a longer incubation period. Our results indicate an association between haemosporidian parasites and plumage coloration suggesting that parasites impact mechanisms of sexual selection, increasing differences between the sexes, and social (non-sexual) selection, driving females to develop more complex coloration.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Alan Fecchio
- Centro de Investigación Esquel de Montaña y Estepa Patagónica (CIEMEP), CONICET—Universidad Nacional de la Patagonia San Juan Bosco, U9200, Esquel, Chubut, Argentina
| | - Jeffrey A. Bell
- Department of Biology, University of North Dakota, 58202-9019, Grand Forks, USA
| | - Jason D. Weckstein
- Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University and Department of Biodiversity, Earth, and Environmental Science, Drexel University, 19104, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Robert E. Ricklefs
- Department of Biology, University of Missouri—Saint Louis, Saint Louis, MO, USA
| | - Erika Martins Braga
- Department of Parasitology, Federal University of Minas Gerais, 31270-901, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | | | - Letícia Soares
- Research Associate, National Aviary, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Steven Latta
- Conservation and Field Research, National Aviary, 15212, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Graziela Tolesano-Pascoli
- Zoology Department, Institute of Biological Sciences, University of Brasilia, 70910-900, Brasilia, Distrito Federal, Brazil
| | - Renata Duarte Alquezar
- Animal Behavior Laboratory, Graduate Program in Ecology, University of Brasilia, 70910-900, Brasilia, Distrito Federal, Brazil
| | - Kleber Del-Claro
- Behavioral Ecology and Interactions Laboratory, Graduate Program in Ecology and Conservation of Natural Resources, Federal University of Uberlândia, 38405-240, Uberlândia, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Lilian Tonelli Manica
- Zoology Department, Federal University of Paraná, 81531-980, Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil
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Aguiar de Souza Penha V, Maia Chaves Bicalho Domingos F, Fecchio A, Bell JA, Weckstein JD, Ricklefs RE, Braga EM, de Abreu Moreira P, Soares L, Latta S, Tolesano-Pascoli G, Alquezar RD, Del-Claro K, Manica LT. Host life-history traits predict haemosporidian parasite prevalence in tanagers (Aves: Thraupidae). Parasitology 2022; 150:1-10. [PMID: 36226920 PMCID: PMC10090595 DOI: 10.1017/s0031182022001469] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2022] [Revised: 09/26/2022] [Accepted: 10/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
Vector-borne parasites are important ecological drivers influencing life-history evolution in birds by increasing host mortality or susceptibility to new diseases. Therefore, understanding why vulnerability to infection varies within a host clade is a crucial task for conservation biology and for understanding macroecological life-history patterns. Here, we studied the relationship of avian life-history traits and climate on the prevalence of Plasmodium and Parahaemoproteus parasites. We sampled 3569 individual birds belonging to 53 species of the family Thraupidae. Individuals were captured from 2007 to 2018 at 92 locations. We created 2 phylogenetic generalized least-squares models with Plasmodium and Parahaemoproteus prevalence as our response variables, and with the following predictor variables: climate PC1, climate PC2, body size, mixed-species flock participation, incubation period, migration, nest height, foraging height, forest cover, and diet. We found that Parahaemoproteus and Plasmodium prevalence was higher in species inhabiting open habitats. Tanager species with longer incubation periods had higher Parahaemoproteus prevalence as well, and we hypothesize that these longer incubation periods overlap with maximum vector abundances, resulting in a higher probability of infection among adult hosts during their incubation period and among chicks. Lastly, we found that Plasmodium prevalence was higher in species without migratory behaviour, with mixed-species flock participation, and with an omnivorous or animal-derived diet. We discuss the consequences of higher infection prevalence in relation to life-history traits in tanagers.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Alan Fecchio
- Centro de Investigación Esquel de Montaña y Estepa Patagónica (CIEMEP), CONICET – Universidad Nacional de la Patagonia San Juan Bosco, Esquel, Chubut, Argentina
| | - Jeffrey A. Bell
- Department of Biology, University of North Dakota, Grand Forks, USA
| | - Jason D. Weckstein
- Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University and Department of Biodiversity, Earth, and Environmental Science, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Robert E. Ricklefs
- Department of Biology, University of Missouri–Saint Louis, Saint Louis, MO, USA
| | - Erika Martins Braga
- Malaria Laboratory, Federal University of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | | | - Letícia Soares
- Research Associate, National Aviary, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Steven Latta
- Conservation and Field Research, National Aviary, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Graziela Tolesano-Pascoli
- Zoology Department, Institute of Biological Sciences, University of Brasilia, Brasilia, Distrito Federal, Brazil
| | - Renata Duarte Alquezar
- Animal Behavior Laboratory, Graduate Program in Ecology, University of Brasilia, Brasilia, Distrito Federal, Brazil
| | - Kleber Del-Claro
- Behavioral Ecology and Interactions Laboratory, Graduate Program in Ecology and Conservation of Natural Resources, Federal University of Uberlândia, Uberlândia, Minas Gerais, Brazil
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Castaño-Vázquez F, Merino S. Differential effects of environmental climatic variables on parasite abundances in blue tit nests during a decade. Integr Zool 2021; 17:511-529. [PMID: 34971472 PMCID: PMC9543696 DOI: 10.1111/1749-4877.12625] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Models on climate change have predicted an increase of temperature over the earth's surface with potential drastic effects on living organisms. We analyzed the relationships between climatic conditions (temperature, rainfall, and wind speed) and the abundance of blood‐sucking flying insects (biting midges and blackflies) and nest‐dwelling ectoparasites (mites, fleas, and blowflies) collected from blue tit nests during bird breeding seasons for a period of 10 years. Average temperature, rainfall, and wind speed showed significant differences among years. Temperature and wind speed increased during the period of study while rainfall decreased. Biting midge, blackfly, and blowfly abundances increased across years but not flea and mite abundances. Hatching date decreased and brood size increased across years. Independently of year variation, parasites were related to climatic variables. For example, biting midge, blowfly, mite, and flea abundances were positive and significantly related to average temperature. We also found a positive and significant relationship between abundances of Haemoproteus infections and biting midge abundances during the first year of life of birds out of nests. However, abundance and prevalence of Lankesterella infections in yearlings were positive and significantly related to mite abundances during the year of birth of birds. Leucocytozoon and Lankesterella infections were also significantly related to climatic variables and Haemoproteus and Lankesterella infections increased across years. In addition, body condition of adult females and males were negatively related to flea larvae and blowfly abundance respectively. Nestling body condition was also negatively related to biting midge abundance. Changes in climatic conditions across years could therefore affect several parasites of birds but also to birds themselves.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Santiago Merino
- Evolutionary Ecology, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales CSIC, Madrid, Spain
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Rodrigues RA, Felix GMF, Pichorim M, Moreira PA, Braga EM. Host migration and environmental temperature influence avian haemosporidians prevalence: a molecular survey in a Brazilian Atlantic rainforest. PeerJ 2021; 9:e11555. [PMID: 34221715 PMCID: PMC8231341 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.11555] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2020] [Accepted: 05/11/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
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.
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Affiliation(s)
- Raquel A Rodrigues
- Parasitology, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
| | | | - Mauro Pichorim
- Botany and Zoology, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande no Norte, Natal, Brazil
| | - Patricia A Moreira
- Biodiversity, Evolution and Environment, Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto, Ouro Preto, Brazil
| | - Erika M Braga
- Parasitology, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
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Urbanization's influence on the distribution of mange in a carnivore revealed with multistate occupancy models. Oecologia 2021; 195:105-116. [PMID: 33538881 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-020-04803-9] [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: 06/11/2020] [Accepted: 11/09/2020] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
Increasing urbanization and use of urban areas by synanthropic wildlife has increased human and domestic animal exposure to zoonotic diseases and exacerbated epizootics within wildlife populations. Consequently, there is a need to improve wildlife disease surveillance programs to rapidly detect outbreaks and refine inferences regarding spatiotemporal disease dynamics. Multistate occupancy models can address potential shortcomings in surveillance programs by accounting for imperfect detection and the misclassification of disease states. We used these models to explore the relationship between urbanization, slope, and the spatial distribution of sarcoptic mange in coyotes (Canis latrans) inhabiting Fort Irwin, California, USA. We deployed remote cameras across 180 sites within the desert surrounding the populated garrison and classified sites by mange presence or absence depending on whether a symptomatic or asymptomatic coyote was photographed. Coyotes selected flatter sites closer to the urban area with a high probability of use (0.845, 95% credible interval (CRI): 0.728, 0.944); site use decreased as the distance to urban areas increased (standardized [Formula: see text] = - 1.354, 95% CRI - 2.423, - 0.619). The probability of correctly classifying mange presence at a site also decreased further from the urban area and was probably related to the severity of mange infection. Severely infected coyotes, which were more readily identified as symptomatic, resided closer to the urban area and were most likely dependent on urban resources for survival; urban resources probably contributed to sustaining the disease. Multistate occupancy models represent a flexible framework for estimating the occurrence and spatial extent of observable infectious diseases, which can improve wildlife disease surveillance programs.
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Oliveira LD, Barino GTM, Rossi MF, D'Agosto M, Dias RJP, Santos HA. Morphological and molecular characterization of Haemoproteus coatneyi and Haemoproteus erythrogravidus (Haemosporida: Haemoproteidae) in Passeriformes in Brazil's Atlantic Forest. REVISTA BRASILEIRA DE PARASITOLOGIA VETERINARIA 2020; 29:e011520. [PMID: 33053056 DOI: 10.1590/s1984-29612020074] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2020] [Accepted: 07/10/2020] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Haemoproteus spp. are protozoan parasites found in birds around the world. These parasites are identified through the morphology of gametocytes, phylogenetic analysis based on the mitochondrial cytb gene, and the parasite's geographic distribution. The absence of erythrocytic merogony, high intraspecific genetic variation and low parasitemia in wild birds makes it essential to use integrative approaches that assist in the identification of these parasites. Thus, microscopic and molecular analyses, combined with spatial distribution, were carried out to verify the presence of Haemoproteus spp. in wild birds in Brazil. Light microscopy revealed one Tangara sayaca bird was parasitized by Haemoproteus coatneyi and, two specimens of Zonotrichia capensis presented Haemoproteus erythrogravidus. The morphology of the gametocytes of these two parasitic species showed high similarity. The molecular analysis revealed the presence of one lineage of H. coatneyi and two lineages of H. erythrogravidus, one of which is considered a new lineage. These lineages were grouped phylogenetically in separate clades, with low genetic divergence, and the H. erythrogravidus lineage emerged as an internal group of the lineages of H. coatneyi. The geographic distribution demonstrated that the two species occur in the American continent. This is the first report of H. erythrogravidus in Brazil.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luísa de Oliveira
- Departamento de Zoologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Juiz de Fora - UFJF, Juiz de Fora, MG, Brasil
| | - Glauber Thiago Martins Barino
- Departamento de Zoologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Juiz de Fora - UFJF, Juiz de Fora, MG, Brasil
| | - Mariana Fonseca Rossi
- Departamento de Zoologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Juiz de Fora - UFJF, Juiz de Fora, MG, Brasil
| | - Marta D'Agosto
- Departamento de Zoologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Juiz de Fora - UFJF, Juiz de Fora, MG, Brasil
| | - Roberto Júnio Pedroso Dias
- Departamento de Zoologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Juiz de Fora - UFJF, Juiz de Fora, MG, Brasil
| | - Huarrisson Azevedo Santos
- Departamento de Epidemiologia e Saúde Pública, Instituto de Veterinária, Universidade Federal Rural do Rio de Janeiro - UFRRJ Seropédica, RJ, Brasil
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Lopes VL, Costa FV, Rodrigues RA, Braga ÉM, Pichorim M, Moreira PA. High fidelity defines the temporal consistency of host-parasite interactions in a tropical coastal ecosystem. Sci Rep 2020; 10:16839. [PMID: 33033317 PMCID: PMC7545182 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-73563-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2020] [Accepted: 09/17/2020] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Host-parasite interactions represent a selective force that may reduce hosts’ lifespan, their reproductive success and survival. Environmental conditions can affect host-parasite communities, leading to distinct patterns of interactions with divergent ecological and evolutionary consequences for their persistence. Here, we tested whether climatic oscillation shapes the temporal dynamics of bird-haemosporidian associations, assessing the main mechanisms involved in the temporal dissimilarity of their interactions’ networks. For two years, we monthly sampled birds in a tropical coastal ecosystem to avian malaria molecular diagnosis. The studied networks exhibited high specialization, medium modularity, with low niche overlap among parasites lineages. Moreover, alpha and β-diversity of hosts, parasites and their interactions, as well as the structure of their networks were temporally consistent, i.e., stable under fluctuations in temperature or precipitation over seasons. The structure and temporal consistency of the studied antagonistic networks suggest a high fidelity between partners, which is likely relevant for their evolutionary persistence.
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Affiliation(s)
- V L Lopes
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ecologia de Biomas Tropicais, Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto - UFOP, Ouro Preto, Minas Gerais, Brazil.,Departamento de Biodiversidade, Evolução e Meio Ambiente, Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto - UFOP, Campus Morro do Cruzeiro, Ouro Preto, Minas Gerais, 35400-000, Brazil
| | - F V Costa
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ecologia de Biomas Tropicais, Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto - UFOP, Ouro Preto, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - R A Rodrigues
- Departamento de Parasitologia, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais - UFMG, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - É M Braga
- Departamento de Parasitologia, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais - UFMG, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - M Pichorim
- Laboratório de Ornitologia, Departamento de Botânica e Zoologia, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte - UFRN, Natal, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil
| | - P A Moreira
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ecologia de Biomas Tropicais, Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto - UFOP, Ouro Preto, Minas Gerais, Brazil. .,Departamento de Biodiversidade, Evolução e Meio Ambiente, Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto - UFOP, Campus Morro do Cruzeiro, Ouro Preto, Minas Gerais, 35400-000, Brazil.
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