Patterns of avian haemosporidian infections vary with time, but not habitat, in a fragmented Neotropical landscape.

ABSTRACT: Habitat loss has the potential to alter vertebrate host populations and their interactions with parasites. Theory predicts a decrease in parasite diversity due to the loss of hosts in such contexts. However, habitat loss could also increase parasite infections as a result of the arrival of new parasites or by decreasing host immune defenses. We investigated the effect of habitat loss and other habitat characteristics on avian haemosporidian infections in a community of birds within a fragmented landscape in northwest Ecuador. We estimated Plasmodium and Haemoproteus parasite infections in 504 individual birds belonging to 8 families and 18 species. We found differences in infection status among bird species, but no relationship between forest fragment characteristics and infection status w

SUBMITTER: Rivero de Aguilar J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6209335 | biostudies-literature | 2018

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature