Is prevalence of blood parasites in birds related to host ecological traits? An assemblage-wide study in northern Colombia

"The prevalence of blood parasites in bird assemblages is associated with ecological and evolutionary factors, such as traits of host species that may increase the exposure to the vectors transmitting parasites. We tested the role of four host life-history traits (foraging strata, nesting strat...

Full description

Autores:
Esteban Henao, María Camila
Tipo de recurso:
Trabajo de grado de pregrado
Fecha de publicación:
2017
Institución:
Universidad de los Andes
Repositorio:
Séneca: repositorio Uniandes
Idioma:
eng
OAI Identifier:
oai:repositorio.uniandes.edu.co:1992/61767
Acceso en línea:
http://hdl.handle.net/1992/61767
Palabra clave:
Aves
Parásitos de la sangre en las aves
Relación huésped-parásito
Rights
openAccess
License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/
Description
Summary:"The prevalence of blood parasites in bird assemblages is associated with ecological and evolutionary factors, such as traits of host species that may increase the exposure to the vectors transmitting parasites. We tested the role of four host life-history traits (foraging strata, nesting strata, nest type, and flocking behavior) in explaining the variation in prevalence in bird species from montane forests of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, northern Colombia. We assessed parasite infections in 728 individuals belonging to 93 bird species and 25 families by examining thin blood smears and through molecular screening. Overall prevalence was 25.2%, with Haemoproteus being the most prevalent parasite (9.48% of the infected individuals) closely followed by Plasmodium (8.38%). Prevalences of Leucocytozoon and microfilariae were 7.01 % and 4.12%, respectively. Haemoproteus infected mostly the avian families Emberizidae, Parulidae, and Thraupidae whereas Leucocytozoon and microfilariae infected a wider range of families." -- Tomado del Formato de Documento de Grado.