Song sparrows Melospiza melodia have a home-field advantage in defending against sympatric malarial parasites.

ABSTRACT: Hosts and parasites interact on both evolutionary and ecological timescales. The outcome of these interactions, specifically whether hosts are more resistant to their local parasites (sympatric) than to parasites from another location (allopatric), is likely to affect the spread of infectious disease and the fitness consequences of host dispersal. We conducted a cross-infection experiment to determine whether song sparrows (Melospiza melodia) have an advantage in dealing with sympatric parasites. We captured birds from two breeding sites 437 km apart, and inoculated them with avian malaria (Plasmodium spp.) cultured either from their capture site or from the other site. Infection risk was lower for birds exposed to sympatric than to allopatric Plasmodium lineages, sugg

SUBMITTER: Sarquis-Adamson Y 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5108946 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature