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 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.

• 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/