Prevalence of Haemosporidian Parasites in an Arctic Breeding Seabird Species-The Red-Throated Diver (Gavia stellata).

ABSTRACT: Haemosporida, vector-transmitted blood parasites, can have various effects and may also exert selection pressures on their hosts. In this study we analyse the presence of Haemosporida in a previously unstudied migratory seabird species, the red-throated diver Gavia stellata. Red-throated divers were sampled during winter and spring in the eastern German Bight (North Sea). We used molecular methods and data from a related tracking study to reveal (i) if red-throated divers are infected with Haemosporida of the genera Leucocytozoon, Plasmodium and Haemoproteus, and (ii) how infection and prevalence are linked with the breeding regions of infected individuals. Divers in this study were assigned to western Palearctic breeding grounds, namely Greenland, Svalbard, Norway and

SUBMITTER: Kleinschmidt B 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9698892 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature