The association between haemosporidian infection and non-breeding moult location in great reed warblers revisited by combining feather stable isotope profiles and geolocator data.

ABSTRACT: Stable isotope analysis provides valuable insights into the ecology of long-distance migratory birds during periods spent away from a specific study site. In a previous study, Swedish great reed warblers (Acrocephalus arundinaceus) infected with haemosporidian parasites differed in feather isotope ratios compared to non-infected birds, suggesting that infected and non-infected birds spent the non-breeding season in different locations or habitats. Here, we use a novel dataset comprising geolocator data, isotopes, and haemosporidian infection status of 92 individuals from four Eurasian populations to investigate whether parasite transmission varies with geography or habitats. We found that the probability of harbouring Plasmodium and Leucocytozoon parasites was higher in birds moulting in t

SUBMITTER: Prochazka P 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10830769 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature