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Detecting shifts of transmission areas in avian blood parasites - a phylogenetic approach

Hellgren, Olof LU ; Waldenström, Jonas LU ; Perez-Tris, Javier LU ; Ösi, ES ; Hasselquist, Dennis LU ; Krizanauskiene, A ; Ottosson, Ulf LU and Bensch, Staffan LU (2007) In Molecular Ecology 16(6). p.1281-1290
Abstract
We investigated the degree of geographical shifts of transmission areas of vector-borne avian blood parasites (Plasmodium, Haemoproteus and Leucocytozoon) over ecological and evolutionary timescales. Of 259 different parasite lineages obtained from 5886 screened birds sampled in Europe and Africa, only two lineages were confirmed to have current transmission in resident bird species in both geographical areas. We used a phylogenetic approach to show that parasites belonging to the genera Haemoproteus and Leucocytozoon rarely change transmission area and that these parasites are restricted to one resident bird fauna over a long evolutionary time span and are not freely spread between the continents with the help of migratory birds. Lineages... (More)
We investigated the degree of geographical shifts of transmission areas of vector-borne avian blood parasites (Plasmodium, Haemoproteus and Leucocytozoon) over ecological and evolutionary timescales. Of 259 different parasite lineages obtained from 5886 screened birds sampled in Europe and Africa, only two lineages were confirmed to have current transmission in resident bird species in both geographical areas. We used a phylogenetic approach to show that parasites belonging to the genera Haemoproteus and Leucocytozoon rarely change transmission area and that these parasites are restricted to one resident bird fauna over a long evolutionary time span and are not freely spread between the continents with the help of migratory birds. Lineages of the genus Plasmodium seem more freely spread between the continents. We suggest that such a reduced transmission barrier of Plasmodium parasites is caused by their higher tendency to infect migratory bird species, which might facilitate shifting of transmission area. Although vector-borne parasites of these genera apparently can shift between a tropical and a temperate transmission area and these areas are linked with an immense amount of annual bird migration, our data suggest that novel introductions of these parasites into resident bird faunas are rather rare evolutionary events. (Less)
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author
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organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
in
Molecular Ecology
volume
16
issue
6
pages
1281 - 1290
publisher
Wiley-Blackwell
external identifiers
  • wos:000244602500014
  • scopus:33847634000
ISSN
0962-1083
DOI
10.1111/j.1365-294X.2007.03227.x
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
5935a7a9-147a-4f55-8b32-20d69a9296f4 (old id 167027)
date added to LUP
2016-04-01 12:28:52
date last changed
2022-02-11 07:31:25
@article{5935a7a9-147a-4f55-8b32-20d69a9296f4,
  abstract     = {{We investigated the degree of geographical shifts of transmission areas of vector-borne avian blood parasites (Plasmodium, Haemoproteus and Leucocytozoon) over ecological and evolutionary timescales. Of 259 different parasite lineages obtained from 5886 screened birds sampled in Europe and Africa, only two lineages were confirmed to have current transmission in resident bird species in both geographical areas. We used a phylogenetic approach to show that parasites belonging to the genera Haemoproteus and Leucocytozoon rarely change transmission area and that these parasites are restricted to one resident bird fauna over a long evolutionary time span and are not freely spread between the continents with the help of migratory birds. Lineages of the genus Plasmodium seem more freely spread between the continents. We suggest that such a reduced transmission barrier of Plasmodium parasites is caused by their higher tendency to infect migratory bird species, which might facilitate shifting of transmission area. Although vector-borne parasites of these genera apparently can shift between a tropical and a temperate transmission area and these areas are linked with an immense amount of annual bird migration, our data suggest that novel introductions of these parasites into resident bird faunas are rather rare evolutionary events.}},
  author       = {{Hellgren, Olof and Waldenström, Jonas and Perez-Tris, Javier and Ösi, ES and Hasselquist, Dennis and Krizanauskiene, A and Ottosson, Ulf and Bensch, Staffan}},
  issn         = {{0962-1083}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{6}},
  pages        = {{1281--1290}},
  publisher    = {{Wiley-Blackwell}},
  series       = {{Molecular Ecology}},
  title        = {{Detecting shifts of transmission areas in avian blood parasites - a phylogenetic approach}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-294X.2007.03227.x}},
  doi          = {{10.1111/j.1365-294X.2007.03227.x}},
  volume       = {{16}},
  year         = {{2007}},
}