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Journal article
Parasite-associated mortality in birds: the roles of specialist parasites and host evolutionary distance
Biology Letters, v 18(4), 20210575
13 Apr 2022
PMID: 35414225
Featured in Collection : UN Sustainable Development Goals @ Drexel
Abstract
The factors that influence whether a parasite is likely to cause death in a given host species are not well known. Generalist parasites with high local abundances, broad distributions and the ability to infect a wide phylogenetic diversity of hosts are often considered especially dangerous for host populations, though comparatively little research has been done on the potential for specialist parasites to cause host mortality. Here, using a novel database of avian mortality records, we tested whether phylogenetic host specialist or host generalist haemosporidian blood parasites were associated with avian host deaths based on infection records from over 81 000 examined hosts. In support of the hypothesis that host specialist parasites can be highly virulent in novel hosts, we found that the parasites that were associated with avian host mortality predominantly infected more closely related host species than expected under a null model. Hosts that died tended to be distantly related to the host species that a parasite lineage typically infects, illustrating that specialist parasites can cause death outside of their limited host range. Overall, this study highlights the overlooked potential for host specialist parasites to cause host mortality despite their constrained ecological niches.
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Details
- Title
- Parasite-associated mortality in birds: the roles of specialist parasites and host evolutionary distance
- Creators
- Spencer C. Galen (Corresponding Author) - Drexel University, Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel UniversitySuravi Ray - Drexel University, Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel UniversityMarissa Henry - Drexel University, Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel UniversityJason D. Weckstein - Drexel University, Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University
- Publication Details
- Biology Letters, v 18(4), 20210575
- Publisher
- The Royal Society
- Grant note
- 1811806 / National Science Foundation (http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/100000001)
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Language
- English
- Academic Unit
- Biodiversity, Earth, and Environmental Science (BEES); Ornithology; Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University
- Web of Science ID
- WOS:000790847100005
- Scopus ID
- 2-s2.0-85128152741
- Other Identifier
- 991019168458404721
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- Collaboration types
- Domestic collaboration
- Web of Science research areas
- Biology
- Ecology
- Evolutionary Biology