Spanish Sparrows Research Articles

Long-term Exposure to Industrial Chemical Contamination Affects the Magnitude of Predator-induced Immunosuppression in a Free-living Passerine.

Industrial chemical contamination is known to have immuno-toxic effects on birds. It may also interfere with natural stressful conditions to further disrupt the immune responses, but these possible interactive effects are still poorly documented in free-living birds. Using the phytohaemagglutinin skin-swelling test, we assessed how the T-cell mediated immune response varied according to the perceived risk of predation in hybrid sparrows, Passer domesticus × Passer hispaniolensis, originating from two sites differentially impacted by industrial chemical contamination, in southern Tunisia. Results showed that T-cell mediated immune response decreased with increasing perceived risk of predation, but the extent of this predator-associated immunosuppression was weaker in birds from the contaminated site compared to those from the control site. The immune response of birds living in the contaminated site was so weak that it could not be further weakened by a predator-related stress. Overall, these results support the idea that chemical contamination interferes with natural environmental stressors, such as predators, thus entailing profound disruption of the immune responses, with possible deleterious repercussions on the ability of birds to cope with diseases.

Preliminary data on the diet composition and nesting behaviour of the Long‑legged Buzzard (Buteo rufinus) in south‑western Romania

The study of a nest of Long‑legged Buzzard Buteo rufinus was carried out using a trail camera and is one piece of a completely unknown jigsaw puzzle of diet and nesting behaviour in Romania. With a hatching success of 75%, we identified 3 hatched chicks from the 4 eggs. During the 10 days of monitoring, 34 preys brought to the nest were identified, with a peak of activity between 11:00–17:00 and a preference for the European Ground Squirrel Spermophilus citellus (61.76%). This was followed by the Domestic Pigeon Columba livia f. domestica and the Common Wood Pigeon C. palumbus (5.88%), and amphibians were represented by the European Green Toad Bufotes viridis (2.94%). There were 10 unidentified prey species (29.41%). We identified the presence of plastic and textile fibres in the nest and the risk of chick suffocation. We also improved our understanding of interspecific interactions and our observations highlighted the mutualism between the three species in the nest: Spanish Sparrow, House Sparrow and LLB. The removal of solitary trees from the agricultural landscape is a major threat in south‑western Romania, affecting the breeding population of the LLB, which, as in our case, nests on this type of support.

Three species of birds in one nest

Some birds build nests in which to lay eggs and rear offspring. Although occasionally associated with intra- or interspecific brood parasites, a single nest is generally occupied by the parents and offspring of one (and the same) species. However, in Xinjiang, China, we observed multiple breeding pairs of two sparrow species (saxaul sparrow [Passer ammodendri] and Spanish sparrow [Passer hispaniolensis]) inhabiting the nest of a long-legged buzzard (Buteo rufinus). On 4 April 2022, we found a long-legged buzzard's nest in a Euphrates poplar tree (Populus euphratica), near Dongdao Lake at the southern edge of the Gurbantunggut Desert in northwestern China. The nest was composed of poplar and tamarisk (Tamarix sp) branches (on the outside) and twigs (for the base). As we approached this Euphrates poplar, the buzzard was on alert. To our surprise, we detected a few holes in the middle and lower parts of the nest, in which lived several pairs of both sparrow species. According to our previous observations, neither P ammodendri nor P hispaniolensis are cavity-nesting birds, as they typically build their own cup-like nests.

О некоторых консортивных связях птиц и растений-эфемероидов

The use of ephemeroids in feeding and as nest material by birds is assessed in this report. The consumption of 18 species of plants by Alectoris chukar and Phasianus colchicus both in nature (Trans Ili Alatau) as well as in culture (collection of the Botanical Garden of Almaty) was noted. In the Western Tien Shan, Passer hispaniolensis and Emberiza bruniceps utilized seven species of ephemeroids for nest building, most often Gymnospermium alberti, Ranunculus regelianus and Poa bulbosa. In the nests of six other passerine species, individual parts of such plants are less common and are used only as an admixture.

Extensive transgressive gene expression in testis but not ovary in the homoploid hybrid Italian sparrow.

Hybridization can result in novel allelic combinations which can impact the hybrid phenotype through changes in gene expression. While misexpression in F1 hybrids is well documented, how gene expression evolves in stabilized hybrid taxa remains an open question. As gene expression evolves in a stabilizing manner, break‐up of co‐evolved cis‐ and trans‐regulatory elements could lead to transgressive patterns of gene expression in hybrids. Here, we address to what extent gonad gene expression has evolved in an established and stable homoploid hybrid, the Italian sparrow (Passer italiae). Through comparison of gene expression in gonads from individuals of the two parental species (i.e., house and Spanish sparrow) to that of Italian sparrows, we find evidence for strongly transgressive expression in male Italian sparrows—2530 genes (22% of testis genes tested for inheritance) exhibit expression patterns outside the range of both parent species. In contrast, Italian sparrow ovary expression was similar to that of one of the parent species, the house sparrow (Passer domesticus). Moreover, the Italian sparrow testis transcriptome is 26 times as diverged from those of the parent species as the parental transcriptomes are from each other, despite being genetically intermediate. This highlights the potential for regulation of gene expression to produce novel variation following hybridization. Genes involved in mitochondrial respiratory chain complexes and protein synthesis are enriched in the subset that is over‐dominantly expressed in Italian sparrow testis, suggesting that selection on key functions has moulded the hybrid Italian sparrow transcriptome.

Predictors of genomic differentiation within a hybrid taxon.

Hybridization is increasingly recognized as an important evolutionary force. Novel genetic methods now enable us to address how the genomes of parental species are combined in hybrid lineages. However, we still do not know the relative importance of admixed proportions, genome architecture and local selection in shaping hybrid genomes. Here, we take advantage of the genetically divergent island populations of Italian sparrow on Crete, Corsica and Sicily to investigate the predictors of genomic variation within a hybrid taxon. We test if differentiation is affected by recombination rate, selection, or variation in ancestry proportions. We find that the relationship between recombination rate and differentiation is less pronounced within hybrid lineages than between the parent species, as expected if purging of minor parent ancestry in low recombination regions reduces the variation available for differentiation. In addition, we find that differentiation between islands is correlated with differences in signatures of selection in two out of three comparisons. Signatures of selection within islands are correlated across all islands, suggesting that shared selection may mould genomic differentiation. The best predictor of strong differentiation within islands is the degree of differentiation from house sparrow, and hence loci with Spanish sparrow ancestry may vary more freely. Jointly, this suggests that constraints and selection interact in shaping the genomic landscape of differentiation in this hybrid species.

Phenomenon of partial and total albinism in the Hybrid Sparrows Passer domesticus X Passer hispaniolensis in Algeria

The phenomenon of albinism is repeated several times in sparrows, where as of december 8, 2018, a case of a male sparrow was observed in the city of Metlili (Ghardaïa - South Algeria), with a remarkably whitish color. Another observation of three (03) cases of total albinism in young males observed in Algiers in June 2007, precisely in Bir Khadem (Algiers - Northern Algeria).

Phenomenon of partial and total albinism in the Hybrid Sparrows Passer domesticus X Passer hispaniolensis in Algeria

Phenomenon of partial and total albinism in the Hybrid Sparrows Passer domesticus X Passer hispaniolensis in Algeria

Intraspecific genomic variation and local adaptation in a young hybrid species.

Hybridization increases genetic variation, hence hybrid species may have greater evolutionary potential once their admixed genomes have stabilized and incompatibilities have been purged. Yet, little is known about how such hybrid lineages evolve at the genomic level following their formation, in particular their adaptive potential. Here we investigate how the Italian sparrow (Passer italiae), a homoploid hybrid species, has evolved and locally adapted to its variable environment. Using restriction site-associated DNA sequencing (RAD-seq) on several populations across the Italian peninsula, we evaluate how genomic constraints and novel genetic variation have influenced population divergence and adaptation. We show that population divergence within this hybrid species has evolved in response to climatic variation, suggesting ongoing local adaptation. As found previously in other nonhybrid species, climatic differences appear to increase population differentiation. We also report strong population divergence in a gene known to affect beak morphology. Most of the strongly divergent loci among Italian sparrow populations do not seem to be differentiated between its parent species, the house and Spanish sparrows. Unlike in the hybrid, population divergence within each of the parental taxa has occurred mostly at loci with high allele frequency difference between the parental species, suggesting that novel combinations of parental alleles in the hybrid have not necessarily enhanced its evolutionary potential. Rather, our study suggests that constraints linked to incompatibilities may have restricted the evolution of this admixed genome, both during and after hybrid species formation.

“Conquered by the Sparrows”: Avian Invasions in French North Africa, circa 1871–1920

Abstract Wheat and barley farmers in North Africa during the French colonial period often experienced plagues of migrating Spanish sparrows (Passer hispaniolensis) that significantly affected the rural economy. Each spring, breeding sparrows nested near fields to raise their young and to consume the winter crop as it matured. This article documents the extent of the avian nuisance in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, focusing especially on eastern Algeria. It argues that changes in rural infrastructure and land use, notably the establishment of large farms and the wide-scale planting of eucalyptus trees, made many European settlements more attractive to the migrating sparrows. A warmer climate following the Little Ice Age may also have contributed to an increase in the size and range of Spanish sparrow populations in North Africa. Demonstrating a deep understanding of the environmental challenge that they faced, settler communities enacted a range of collective responses to the bird plagues, which resembled local forms of an “environmental management state.” They also consistently demanded state action in response to these plagues, but metropolitan bird protection laws appear to have limited the colonial government’s options and appetite for action in French Algeria. The sparrow problem could be managed but not overcome.

Genetic admixture despite ecological segregation in a North African sparrow hybrid zone (Aves, Passeriformes, Passer domesticus×Passer hispaniolensis).

Under different environmental conditions, hybridization between the same species might result in different patterns of genetic admixture. Particularly, species pairs with large distribution ranges and long evolutionary history may have experienced several independent hybridization events over time in different zones of overlap. In birds, the diverse hybrid populations of the house sparrow (Passer domesticus) and the Spanish sparrow (Passer hispaniolensis) provide a striking example. Throughout their range of sympatry, these two species do not regularly interbreed; however, a stabilized hybrid form (Passer italiae) exists on the Italian Peninsula and on several Mediterranean islands. The spatial distribution pattern on the Eurasian continent strongly contrasts the situation in North Africa, where house sparrows and Spanish sparrows occur in close vicinity of phenotypically intermediate populations across a broad mosaic hybrid zone. In this study, we investigate patterns of divergence and admixture among the two parental species, stabilized and nonstabilized hybrid populations in Italy and Algeria based on a mitochondrial marker, a sex chromosomal marker, and 12 microsatellite loci. In Algeria, despite strong spatial and temporal separation of urban early‐breeding house sparrows and hybrids and rural late‐breeding Spanish sparrows, we found strong genetic admixture of mitochondrial and nuclear markers across all study populations and phenotypes. That pattern of admixture in the North African hybrid zone is strikingly different from i) the Iberian area of sympatry where we observed only weak asymmetrical introgression of Spanish sparrow nuclear alleles into local house sparrow populations and ii) the very homogenous Italian sparrow population where the mitogenome of one parent (P. domesticus) and the Z‐chromosomal marker of the other parent (P. hispaniolensis) are fixed. The North African sparrow hybrids provide a further example of enhanced hybridization along with recent urbanization and anthropogenic land‐use changes in a mosaic landscape.

Mitochondrial heteroplasmy in an avian hybrid form (Passer italiae: Aves, Passeriformes)

Mitochondrial heteroplasmy is the result from biparental transmission of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) to the offspring. In such rare cases, maternal and paternal mtDNA is present in the same individual. Though recent studies suggested that mtDNA heteroplasmy might be more common than previously anticipated, that phenomenon is still poorly documented and was mostly detected in case studies on hybrid populations. The Italian sparrow, Passer italiae is a homoploid hybrid form that occurs all across the Italian Peninsula mostly under strict absence of either of its parent species, the house sparrow (P. domesticus) and the Spanish sparrow (P. hispaniolensis). In this study, we document a new case of mitochondrial heteroplasmy from two island populations of P. italiae (Ustica and Lipari). Our analysis was based on the mitochondrial NADH dehydrogenase subunit 2 (ND2) that allows for a clear distinction between mitochondrial lineages of the two parental species. We amplified and sequenced the mitochondrial ND2 gene with specifically designed primer combinations for each of the two parental species. In two of our study populations, a single individual carried two different ND2 haplotypes from each of the two parental lineages. These findings contribute to current knowledge on the still poorly documented phenomenon of paternal leakage in vertebrates.

Measuring sperm swimming performance in birds: effects of dilution, suspension medium, mechanical agitation, and sperm number

Sperm swimming performance, including swimming speed and the proportion of motile cells, may strongly affect fertilization success. However, little is known about how methodological factors affect in vitro measurement of these parameters. We compare the swimming performance of sperm from House Sparrows (Passer domesticus) and Spanish Sparrows (Passer hispaniolensis) in two standard suspension media, at two different dilutions, and with different degrees of cell agitation. Further, we conduct a resampling analysis to investigate sample size effects. Sperm performance was generally reduced when sperm were diluted, or when suspended in phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) rather than a medium containing additional nutrients. Sperm performance was particularly low when they were diluted more and suspended in PBS, suggesting that seminal fluid may provide compounds that enhance performance but that these are less available following dilution. Mechanical agitation of the cells by vigorous pipetting increased the proportion of motile cells. Between-male repeatability, assessed on a single sample measured in multiple conditions, was moderate and significant, suggesting that similar results may be obtained regardless of the methodology used to assess sperm motion. We found no evidence of biased results when low numbers of cells per male were used in analysis, though precision increased substantially as sample size increased from five to 20 or more cells per male. We recommend using the same suspension media and similar sperm concentrations and levels of agitation, to the greatest degree possible, and including as many individuals as possible in analyses, even when some individuals are represented by few sperm cells.

Moult-related reduction of aerobic scope in passerine birds.

It is well established that the nutrient and energy requirements of birds increase substantially during moult, but it is not known if these increased demands affect their aerobic capacity. We quantified the absolute aerobic scope of house and Spanish sparrows, Passer domesticus and P. hispaniolensis, respectively, before and during sequential stages of their moult period. The absolute aerobic scope (AAS) is the difference between maximum metabolic rate (MMR) during peak locomotor activities and minimum resting metabolic rate (RMRmin), thus representing the amount of aerobic power above that committed to maintenance needs available for other activities. As expected, RMRmin increased over the moult period by up to 40 and 63% in house and Spanish sparrows, respectively. Surprisingly, the maximum metabolic rates also decreased during moult in both species, declining as much as 25 and 38% compared with pre-moult values of house and Spanish sparrows, respectively. The concurrent changes in RMRmin and MMR during moult resulted in significant decreases in AAS, being up to 32 and 47% lower than pre-moult levels of house and Spanish sparrows, respectively, during moult stages having substantial feather replacement. We argue that the combination of reduced flight efficiency due to loss of wing feathers and reduced aerobic capacity places moulting birds at greater risk of predation. Such performance constraints likely contribute to most birds temporally separating moult from annual events requiring peak physiological capacity such as breeding and migration.

PASSER HISPANIOLENSIS IS A NEW NESTING SPECIES ON NORTH-WESTERN COAST OF THE CRIMEAN PENINSULA

Aim. The aim of the research is to study the potential nesting sites of the Spanish sparrow (Passer hispaniolensis) on the northwest coast of Crimea. Methods. Material was compiled during 2016-2018. The generally accepted methods of road and foot route census study were applied. Nesting stations were explored: nests of storks, birds of prey and corvids, forest belts and reed beds. Results. On the basis of research, the presence of Passer hispaniolensis in the north-western Crimea, in particular, within the borders of the Lebyazhy Islands («Swan Islands») specially protected natural area, has been established. It is revealed that for nesting, this species of sparrow prefers the areas close to fields and is not often found in human settlements. During the nesting period, an increase in the number from 15 to 45 pairs was noted. The greatest number of breeding pairs of spanish sparrow is found in the nests of the white stork. Late arriving birds form colonies on trees in close proximity to stork nests. Conclusion. Nesting of Passer hispaniolensis is most likely due to changes in the hydrological regime and land use structure, since rice crop rotation (until 2014) has been replaced by other grain crops (barley, wheat) and tilled crops (sunflower, maize). Thus, at present, the breeding ornithofauna of the protected area is represented by 92 species of birds.

Migration, wing morphometry and wing moult in Spanish and House Sparrows from the eastern Balkan Peninsula

On the Balkan Peninsula, migratory Spanish Sparrows breed sympatrically with resident House Sparrows. While the two species share many biological and ecological traits, migratory patterns and adaptions to migratory lifestyle of the Spanish Sparrow are unknown. We tracked a Spanish Sparrow across its 1800 km long migration from Bulgaria to the nonbreeding sites in the Nile Delta. Stopovers were situated in western Turkey, before and after the 12 h-nonstop flights across the Mediterranean Sea. We show similar wing morphology in Spanish and House Sparrows indicating little adaptation to migration. However, Spanish Sparrows moult primaries earlier and faster allowing for timely migratory departure.

Host migration strategy and blood parasite infections of three sparrow species sympatrically breeding in Southeast Europe.

Mobile hosts like birds occupy a wide array of habitats in which they encounter various vector and parasite faunas. If the infection probability for vector-borne parasites varies among seasons and biomes, a migratory life can critically influence the infections of a host. The growing body of literature on avian blood parasites suggests that host migrations do not only influence prevalence of infection but can also evoke higher infection intensities and increased parasite diversity in migrant compared to resident host species. We investigated the prevalence, intensity and diversity of Plasmodium and Haemoproteus infections in three closely-related and sympatrically breeding sparrow species with different migration strategies ranging from residential house sparrow and partially migratory tree sparrow to the obligate migratory Spanish sparrow. With a prevalence of 49%, the migratory Spanish sparrows were significantly less frequently infected than the resident house sparrows (82%). The partially migratory tree sparrow showed an intermediate prevalence of 60%. The parasitaemias were similar in all three host species and indicated mostly chronic but also few acute infections. While we found Plasmodium parasites in all three sparrow species, only Spanish sparrows were infected with Haemoproteus parasites in our study. With nine clearly identified parasite lineages in our study and the highest number of lineages per infected individuals (i.e. relative diversity), Spanish sparrows harboured the most diverse parasite fauna. Our results suggest that migration strategies can affect Plasmodium and Haemoproteus infections of sparrows resulting in a lower parasite prevalence and higher parasite diversity in migratory hosts-at least during our host's breeding period. A general scope for all annual cycle periods and across various bird taxa remains to be elucidated.

Nephrotoxicity in Hybrid sparrow (Passer domesticus × Passer hispaniolensis) living near a phosphate treatment factory complex in southern Tunisia: a biochemical and histological study.

Our study was designed to evaluate impacts of exposure to pollutants, released by the Gabès-Ghannouche factory complex of phosphate treatment, on biochemical biomarkers and histopathological indices in kidney tissues of Hybrid sparrow (Passer domesticus × Passer hispaniolensis) in Gabès city. Our results show evidence of a pronounced impairment in kidney function which is confirmed by remarkable blood chemical alterations in sparrows living in Ghannouche, the most polluted site. Moreover, superoxide dismutase and catalase activities were found to be decreased in birds sampled from the contaminated site when compared to less polluted areas. The population of sparrows feeding in Ghannouche had enhanced renal thiobarbituric acid reactive substance levels, indicating oxidative damage to membrane lipids. Some histopathological alterations were also observed including kidney interstitial dilatations. Overall, our findings demonstrated that the exposure to pollutants released by the factory complex possessed nephrotoxic by depleting renal antioxidant defense system and promoting kidney morphometric damage in sparrows. These results constitute an early warning of an ecological change in relation to human health.

Railway-facilitated dispersal of the Spanish Sparrow (Passer hispaniolensis) during its current range expansion in the Pannonian Basin

Railway-facilitated dispersal of the Spanish Sparrow (Passer hispaniolensis) during its current range expansion in the Pannonian Basin

Expression and phylogenetic analyses reveal paralogous lineages of putatively classical and non-classical MHC-I genes in three sparrow species (Passer)

BackgroundThe Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC) plays a central role in immunity and has been given considerable attention by evolutionary ecologists due to its associations with fitness-related traits. Songbirds have unusually high numbers of MHC class I (MHC-I) genes, but it is not known whether all are expressed and equally important for immune function. Classical MHC-I genes are highly expressed, polymorphic and present peptides to T-cells whereas non-classical MHC-I genes have lower expression, are more monomorphic and do not present peptides to T-cells. To get a better understanding of the highly duplicated MHC genes in songbirds, we studied gene expression in a phylogenetic framework in three species of sparrows (house sparrow, tree sparrow and Spanish sparrow), using high-throughput sequencing. We hypothesize that sparrows could have classical and non-classical genes, as previously indicated though never tested using gene expression.ResultsThe phylogenetic analyses reveal two distinct types of MHC-I alleles among the three sparrow species, one with high and one with low level of polymorphism, thus resembling classical and non-classical genes, respectively. All individuals had both types of alleles, but there was copy number variation both within and among the sparrow species. However, the number of highly polymorphic alleles that were expressed did not vary between species, suggesting that the structural genomic variation is counterbalanced by conserved gene expression. Overall, 50% of the MHC-I alleles were expressed in sparrows. Expression of the highly polymorphic alleles was very variable, whereas the alleles with low polymorphism had uniformly low expression. Interestingly, within an individual only one or two alleles from the polymorphic genes were highly expressed, indicating that only a single copy of these is highly expressed.ConclusionsTaken together, the phylogenetic reconstruction and the analyses of expression suggest that sparrows have both classical and non-classical MHC-I genes, and that the evolutionary origin of these genes predate the split of the three investigated sparrow species 7 million years ago. Because only the classical MHC-I genes are involved in antigen presentation, the function of different MHC-I genes should be considered in future ecological and evolutionary studies of MHC-I in sparrows and other songbirds.