Abstract
BackgroundParasites play pivotal roles in host population dynamics and can have strong ecological impacts on hosts. Knowledge of the effects of parasites on hosts is often limited by the general observation of a fraction of individuals (mostly adults) within a population. The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of malaria parasites in adult (≥1 year old) and nestling (7–11 day old) Tawny pipits Anthus campestris, to evaluate the influence of the host sex on parasite prevalence in both groups of age, and explore the association between infections and body condition (adults) and growth (nestlings).MethodsTwo hundred Tawny pipits (105 adults and 95 nestlings) from one Spanish population were screened for avian malaria parasites (Haemoproteus and Plasmodium) using the polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based methods. Body condition (body mass against a linear measure of size) was measured in adults and growth rate (daily mass gain) was calculated for nestlings.ResultsThe overall prevalence of infection was 46 %. Sixteen different mitochondrial cytochrome b haplotypes of Plasmodium spp. and one Haemoproteus spp. haplotype were found. Malaria parasites were equally prevalent in nestlings and adults (45 and 46 %, respectively). Males were more likely to be infected by parasites than females, and this sex-bias parasitism was evident in both adults and nestlings. Furthermore, a lower daily mass gain during nestling growth in males than in females following infections were found, whereas the effect of infections on body condition of adults was detrimental for females but not for males.ConclusionsAge-specific differences in physiological trade-offs and ecological factors, such as nest predation would explain, at least in part, the observed host sex and age-related patterns in Tawny pipits.
Highlights
Parasites play pivotal roles in host population dynamics and can have strong ecological impacts on hosts
During the acute phase of malaria infection many individuals were naturally removed from the population by dying [21], which makes really difficult to assess what type of parasites are involved and the real damage they caused at the population level
All methods were approved by the University of Castilla-La Mancha ethical committee for Animal experimentation (CEEA) and permission to capture and manipulate birds was obtained from the Organismo Autonomo de Espacios Naturales de Castilla-La Mancha
Summary
Parasites play pivotal roles in host population dynamics and can have strong ecological impacts on hosts. During the acute phase of malaria infection many individuals were naturally removed from the population by dying [21], which makes really difficult to assess what type of parasites are involved and the real damage they caused at the population level. In this context, one interesting approach is to use nestlings as research focus. Surprisingly little is known about the avian malaria infections during the crucial phase of nestling growth as compared to adult phase
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