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Species formation by host shifting in avian malaria parasites

Ricklefs, Robert E ; Outlaw, Diana C ; Svensson-Coelho, Maria LU ; Medeiros, Matthew CI ; Ellis, Vincenzo A LU and Latta, Steven C. (2014) In Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 111(41). p.14816-14821
Abstract
The malaria parasites (Apicomplexa: Haemosporida) of birds are believed to have diversified across the avian host phylogeny well after the origin of most major host lineages. Although many symbionts with direct transmission codiversify with their hosts, mechanisms of species formation in vector-borne parasites, including the role of host shifting, are poorly understood. Here, we examine the hosts of sister lineages in a phylogeny of 181 putative species of malaria parasites of New World terrestrial birds to determine the role of shifts between host taxa in the formation of new parasite species. We find that host shifting, often across host genera and families, is the rule. Sympatric speciation by host shifting would require local... (More)
The malaria parasites (Apicomplexa: Haemosporida) of birds are believed to have diversified across the avian host phylogeny well after the origin of most major host lineages. Although many symbionts with direct transmission codiversify with their hosts, mechanisms of species formation in vector-borne parasites, including the role of host shifting, are poorly understood. Here, we examine the hosts of sister lineages in a phylogeny of 181 putative species of malaria parasites of New World terrestrial birds to determine the role of shifts between host taxa in the formation of new parasite species. We find that host shifting, often across host genera and families, is the rule. Sympatric speciation by host shifting would require local reproductive isolation as a prerequisite to divergent selection, but this mechanism is not supported by the generalized host-biting behavior of most vectors of avian malaria parasites. Instead, the geographic distribution of individual parasite lineages in diverse hosts suggests that species formation is predominantly allopatric and involves host expansion followed by local host–pathogen coevolution and secondary sympatry, resulting in local shifting of parasite lineages across hosts. (Less)
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author
; ; ; ; and
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
emerging infectious disease, Haemoproteus, host switching, species diversification, Plasmodium
in
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
volume
111
issue
41
pages
6 pages
publisher
National Academy of Sciences
external identifiers
  • scopus:84907938532
ISSN
1091-6490
DOI
10.1073/pnas.1416356111
language
English
LU publication?
no
id
40557e95-edf2-4358-a3b7-6d0fc030dab5
date added to LUP
2017-05-09 15:03:24
date last changed
2022-04-09 08:16:06
@article{40557e95-edf2-4358-a3b7-6d0fc030dab5,
  abstract     = {{The malaria parasites (Apicomplexa: Haemosporida) of birds are believed to have diversified across the avian host phylogeny well after the origin of most major host lineages. Although many symbionts with direct transmission codiversify with their hosts, mechanisms of species formation in vector-borne parasites, including the role of host shifting, are poorly understood. Here, we examine the hosts of sister lineages in a phylogeny of 181 putative species of malaria parasites of New World terrestrial birds to determine the role of shifts between host taxa in the formation of new parasite species. We find that host shifting, often across host genera and families, is the rule. Sympatric speciation by host shifting would require local reproductive isolation as a prerequisite to divergent selection, but this mechanism is not supported by the generalized host-biting behavior of most vectors of avian malaria parasites. Instead, the geographic distribution of individual parasite lineages in diverse hosts suggests that species formation is predominantly allopatric and involves host expansion followed by local host–pathogen coevolution and secondary sympatry, resulting in local shifting of parasite lineages across hosts.}},
  author       = {{Ricklefs, Robert E and Outlaw, Diana C and Svensson-Coelho, Maria and Medeiros, Matthew CI and Ellis, Vincenzo A and Latta, Steven C.}},
  issn         = {{1091-6490}},
  keywords     = {{emerging infectious disease; Haemoproteus; host switching; species diversification; Plasmodium}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{41}},
  pages        = {{14816--14821}},
  publisher    = {{National Academy of Sciences}},
  series       = {{Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences}},
  title        = {{Species formation by host shifting in avian malaria parasites}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1416356111}},
  doi          = {{10.1073/pnas.1416356111}},
  volume       = {{111}},
  year         = {{2014}},
}