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A highly invasive malaria parasite has expanded its range to non-migratory birds in North America.

ABSTRACT: Parasite range expansions are a direct consequence of globalization and are an increasing threat to biodiversity. Here, we report a recent range expansion of the SGS1 strain of a highly invasive parasite, Plasmodium relictum, to two non-migratory passerines in North America. Plasmodium relictum is considered one of the world's most invasive parasites and causes the disease avian malaria: this is the first reported case of SGS1 in wild non-migratory birds on the continent. Using a long-term database where researchers report avian malaria parasite infections, we summarized our current understanding of the geographical range of SGS1 and its known hosts. We also identified the most likely geographical region of this introduction event using the MSP1 allele. We hypothesize that this introduction resulted from movements of captive birds and subsequent spillover to native bird populations, via the presence of competent vectors and ecological fitting. Further work should be conducted to determine the extent to which SGS1 has spread following its introduction in North America.

SUBMITTER: Theodosopoulos AN

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8424330 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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A highly invasive malaria parasite has expanded its range to non-migratory birds in North America.

Theodosopoulos Angela N AN Grabenstein Kathryn C KC Bensch Staffan S Taylor Scott A SA

Biology letters 20210908 9

Parasite range expansions are a direct consequence of globalization and are an increasing threat to biodiversity. Here, we report a recent range expansion of the SGS1 strain of a highly invasive parasite, <i>Plasmodium relictum</i>, to two non-migratory passerines in North America<i>. Plasmodium relictum</i> is considered one of the world's most invasive parasites and causes the disease avian malaria: this is the first reported case of SGS1 in wild non-migratory birds on the continent. Using a l ...[more]

PMID: 34493062

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Project description:Long-distance migration in birds is relatively well studied in nature; however, one aspect of this phenomenon that remains poorly understood is the pattern of distribution presented by species during arrival to and establishment of wintering areas. Some studies suggest that the selection of areas in winter is somehow determined by climate, given its influence on both the distribution of bird species and their resources. We analyzed whether different migrant passerine species of North America present climatic preferences during arrival to and departure from their wintering areas. We used ecological niche modeling to generate monthly potential climatic distributions for 13 migratory bird species during the winter season by combining the locations recorded per month with four environmental layers. We calculated monthly coefficients of climate variation and then compared two GLM (generalized linear models), evaluated with the AIC (Akaike information criterion), to describe how these coefficients varied over the course of the season, as a measure of the patterns of establishment in the wintering areas. For 11 species, the sites show nonlinear patterns of variation in climatic preferences, with low coefficients of variation at the beginning and end of the season and higher values found in the intermediate months. The remaining two species analyzed showed a different climatic pattern of selective establishment of wintering areas, probably due to taxonomic discrepancy, which would affect their modeled winter distribution. Patterns of establishment of wintering areas in the species showed a climatic preference at the macroscale, suggesting that individuals of several species actively select wintering areas that meet specific climatic conditions. This probably gives them an advantage over the winter and during the return to breeding areas. As these areas become full of migrants, alternative suboptimal sites are occupied. Nonrandom winter area selection may also have consequences for the conservation of migratory bird species, particularly under a scenario of climate change.

Dataset Information

A highly invasive malaria parasite has expanded its range to non-migratory birds in North America.

Publications

A highly invasive malaria parasite has expanded its range to non-migratory birds in North America.

Similar Datasets

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