The Role of Host-Range Expansion and Co-Speciation in Host-Parasite Associations With the Divergence of the Great Tit Species Complex.

ABSTRACT: During the evolution of parasites, co-speciation and host-range expansion are thought to play roles in establishing associations with hosts, while sorting events can lead to dissolution of those associations. To address the roles of these processes, we focus on avian haemosporidian parasites infecting hosts of the intensively studied great tit species complex. We estimated the phylogeography of lineages detected in the species complex, and quantified their transition probabilities among hosts. Lineages detected in different host species presented a strong geographical signal but did not form monophyletic groups. Yet, distributions of lineages are not merely the result of their dispersal limitations, as many lineages that infect only one focal species can be found in birds sympatric with ot

SUBMITTER: Huang X 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11747346 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature