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Pacheco MA, Ferreira FC, Logan CJ, McCune KB, MacPherson MP, Albino Miranda S, Santiago-Alarcon D, Escalante AA. Great-tailed Grackles (Quiscalus mexicanus) as a tolerant host of avian malaria parasites. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0268161. [PMID: 35998118 PMCID: PMC9397854 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0268161] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2022] [Accepted: 07/29/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Great-tailed Grackles (Quiscalus mexicanus) are a social, polygamous bird species whose populations have rapidly expanded their geographic range across North America over the past century. Before 1865, Great-tailed Grackles were only documented in Central America, Mexico, and southern Texas in the USA. Given the rapid northern expansion of this species, it is relevant to study its role in the dynamics of avian blood parasites. Here, 87 Great-tailed grackles in Arizona (a population in the new center of the range) were screened for haemosporidian parasites using microscopy and PCR targeting the parasite mitochondrial cytochrome b gene. Individuals were caught in the wild from January 2018 until February 2020. Haemosporidian parasite prevalence was 62.1% (54/87). A high Plasmodium prevalence was found (60.9%, 53/87), and one grackle was infected with Haemoproteus (Parahaemoproteus) sp. (lineage SIAMEX01). Twenty-one grackles were infected with P. cathemerium, sixteen with P. homopolare, four with P. relictum (strain GRW04), and eleven with three different genetic lineages of Plasmodium spp. that have not been characterized to species level (MOLATE01, PHPAT01, and ZEMAC01). Gametocytes were observed in birds infected with three different Plasmodium lineages, revealing that grackles are competent hosts for some parasite species. This study also suggests that grackles are highly susceptible and develop chronic infections consistent with parasite tolerance, making them competent to transmit some generalist haemosporidian lineages. It can be hypothesized that, as the Great-tailed Grackle expands its geographic range, it may affect local bird communities by increasing the transmission of local parasites but not introducing new species into the parasite species pool.
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Affiliation(s)
- M. Andreína Pacheco
- Biology Department/Institute of Genomics and Evolutionary Medicine (iGEM), Temple University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America
- * E-mail: (CJL); (MAP); (AAE)
| | - Francisco C. Ferreira
- Center for Conservation Genomics, Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, Washington, DC, United States of America
- Center for Vector Biology, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey, United States of America
| | - Corina J. Logan
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
- * E-mail: (CJL); (MAP); (AAE)
| | - Kelsey B. McCune
- University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, California, United States of America
| | - Maggie P. MacPherson
- University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, California, United States of America
- Louisiana State University Museum of Natural Science, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, United States of America
| | - Sergio Albino Miranda
- Red de Biología y Conservación de Vertebrados, Instituto de Ecología, Xalapa, Veracruz, Mexico
| | - Diego Santiago-Alarcon
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida, United States of America
| | - Ananias A. Escalante
- Biology Department/Institute of Genomics and Evolutionary Medicine (iGEM), Temple University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America
- * E-mail: (CJL); (MAP); (AAE)
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Kelsey NA, Schmaljohann H, Bairlein F. The avian lightweights: Trans-Saharan migrants show lower lean body mass than short-/medium-distance migrants. J Evol Biol 2021; 34:1010-1021. [PMID: 33813789 DOI: 10.1111/jeb.13787] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2020] [Revised: 03/26/2021] [Accepted: 03/28/2021] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Avian trans-Saharan migrants travelling long distances and crossing ecological barriers experience different constraints in terms of time, energy and safety than short-/medium-distance migrants without barrier-crossings. As such, natural selection shapes the aerodynamic properties of these groups differently. Yet, to the best of our knowledge, we lack information on whether natural selection has contributed to reducing energetic flight costs through generally lower body mass in trans-Saharan migrants. To fill parts of this gap, we investigated this eco-morphological pattern in 5,410 individuals of 22 Palearctic songbird species ranging from short-/medium-distance to trans-Saharan migrants. We used individual size-independent scaled lean body mass values based on wing length as a measure of body size and, for the first time, precisely determined lean body mass values by direct measurements via quantitative magnetic resonance technology. Scaled lean body mass for a given body size was significantly higher in short-/medium-distance migrants than in trans-Saharan migrants. Although scaled lean body mass significantly decreased with increasing migration distance in short-/medium-distance migrants, no such effect was found in trans-Saharan migrants. Our results thus show an eco-morphological pattern relating species' lean body mass not only to migration distance but also to migration group. This suggests that selective effects of the presence/absence of ecological barriers and/or of a threshold level for migration distance on migrant birds may be more important than the linear continuum of migration distance per se.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natalie A Kelsey
- Institute of Avian Research 'Vogelwarte Helgoland', Wilhelmshaven, Germany
| | - Heiko Schmaljohann
- Institute of Avian Research 'Vogelwarte Helgoland', Wilhelmshaven, Germany.,Institut für Biologie und Umweltwissenschaften (IBU), Carl von Ossietzky University Oldenburg, Oldenburg, Germany
| | - Franz Bairlein
- Institute of Avian Research 'Vogelwarte Helgoland', Wilhelmshaven, Germany.,Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Radolfzell, Germany
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Klimas ST, Osborn JM, Osborne DC, Lancaster JD, Jacques CN, Yetter AP, Hagy HM. Body condition of spring-migrating Green-winged Teal (Anas crecca). CAN J ZOOL 2020. [DOI: 10.1139/cjz-2019-0155] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
Spring migration is an energetically demanding event that can impact nutrient dynamics of individuals during the breeding season through carry-over effects. Limited food availability at spring stopover areas may have cross-seasonal effects that adversely impact waterfowl populations. We collected 161 Green-winged Teal (Anas crecca Linnaeus, 1758; hereafter Teal) throughout the Illinois River Valley, USA, during February–April of 2016–2018 and estimated body condition using three condition indices (scaled mass index, scaled wing index, body-size index) for comparison with carcass lipid and protein values. Lipids were 18.3% (95% CI = 1.0%–38.5%) and 21.6% (95% CI = 4.8%–41.0%) greater at locations with moderate (250–600 kg/ha) and high (>600 kg/ha) moist-soil seed densities, respectively, than low moist-seed density (<250 kg/ha) sites. Lipids also increased 2.4% (95% CI = 0.2%–5.1%) with every 10% increase in the proportion of plant seeds in diets and decreased 0.9% (SE = 0.4%–1.4%) and 3.8% (SE = 2.1%–5.4%) with every 1-day increase in collection date and 1 °C rise in mean temperature, respectively. Condition indices based on morphology were poor (r ≤ 0.45) predictors of lipids and led to potentially erroneous conclusions regarding important contributions to body condition. Availability of emergent wetlands with adequate food resources may affect lipid reserves of Teal during spring migration and have cross-seasonal effects during the breeding season.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samuel T. Klimas
- Frank C. Bellrose Waterfowl Research Center, Forbes Biological Station, Illinois Natural History Survey, Havana, IL 62644, USA
| | - Joshua M. Osborn
- Frank C. Bellrose Waterfowl Research Center, Forbes Biological Station, Illinois Natural History Survey, Havana, IL 62644, USA
| | - Douglas C. Osborne
- University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture Experiment Station, University of Arkansas at Monticello – College of Forestry, Agriculture, and Natural Resources, 110 University Court, Monticello, AR 71656, USA
| | - Joseph D. Lancaster
- Frank C. Bellrose Waterfowl Research Center, Forbes Biological Station, Illinois Natural History Survey, Havana, IL 62644, USA
| | - Christopher N. Jacques
- Western Illinois University, Department of Biological Sciences, 1 University Circle, Macomb, IL 61455, USA
| | - Aaron P. Yetter
- Frank C. Bellrose Waterfowl Research Center, Forbes Biological Station, Illinois Natural History Survey, Havana, IL 62644, USA
| | - Heath M. Hagy
- U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Stanton, TN 38069, USA
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English MD, Robertson GJ, O’Driscoll NJ, Klapstein SJ, Peck LE, Mallory ML. Variation in isotopic niche, digestive tract morphology, and mercury concentrations in two sympatric waterfowl species wintering in Atlantic Canada. Facets (Ott) 2020. [DOI: 10.1139/facets-2019-0056] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Sympatric communities of organisms may exploit different ecological niches to avoid intra- and interspecific competition. We examined the isotopic niches of American black ducks ( Anas rubripes) and mallards ( A. platyrhynchos) wintering in coastal and urban areas of Atlantic Canada and compared isotopic niche with digestive tract morphologies and blood mercury (Hg) concentrations. Isotopic niche width (for δ13C and δ15N) varied between the three groups of ducks studied, with coastally foraging black ducks exhibiting the widest isotopic niche, followed by coastal mallards, while urban feeding black ducks had a narrow isotopic niche. These niche differences had physical and chemical consequences: coastal black ducks had longer digestive tracts, a larger range in gizzard sizes, and higher and more variable Hg concentrations than urban black ducks and coastal mallards. This plasticity in ecological niche may reduce competition among and within species, and subsequently explain why winter numbers of black ducks and mallards have increased in Atlantic Canada.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Gregory J. Robertson
- Wildlife Research Division, Environment and Climate Change Canada, 6 Bruce Street, Mount Pearl, NL A1N 4T3, Canada
| | - Nelson J. O’Driscoll
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Acadia University, Wolfville, NS B4P 2R6, Canada
| | - Sara J. Klapstein
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Acadia University, Wolfville, NS B4P 2R6, Canada
| | - Liam E. Peck
- Department of Biology, Acadia University, Wolfville, NS B4P 2R6, Canada
| | - Mark L. Mallory
- Department of Biology, Acadia University, Wolfville, NS B4P 2R6, Canada
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Hughes KD, de Solla SR, Schummer ML, Petrie SA, White A, Martin PA. Rapid increase in contaminant burdens following loss of body condition in canvasbacks (Aythya valisineria) overwintering on the Lake St. Clair region of the Great Lakes. ECOTOXICOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL SAFETY 2019; 186:109736. [PMID: 31654909 DOI: 10.1016/j.ecoenv.2019.109736] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2019] [Revised: 09/06/2019] [Accepted: 09/25/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Overwintering canvasbacks were collected in the Lake St. Clair region of the Great Lakes in the winter of 2008/09 and livers were analyzed for organochlorines, mercury (Hg), and selenium (Se). We found dramatic increases in hepatic concentrations of Hg, Se, sum PCBs, p,p'-DDE, and other organochlorines in canvasbacks in which concentrations in February were greater than concentrations in November when overwintering ducks arrived in the study area. Increases in contaminant burdens were generally greatest between December and January which also coincided with the period when ducks from Lake St. Clair (LSC) moved following freeze-up of the Lake to forage on the St. Clair River (SCR), an area of known historic contamination, and upstream of LSC. Body condition estimated using body metrics and measured using lipid reserves (after controlling for body size) increased in LSC ducks but subsequently decreased in SCR ducks. This rapid loss of body condition through loss of lipid reserves was one factor likely driving the dramatic increase in contaminant burdens and particularly for organochlorines which were inversely related to body condition in SCR ducks. Increased exposure due to foraging in closer proximity to contaminant sources and changes in diet associated with the movement of ducks may have also contributed to temporal trends. Concentrations overall were below those associated with toxicity with the exception of Se for which 30% of ducks exceeded the Se threshold that is considered elevated and one duck exceeded the threshold associated with possible toxicity. Fitness consequences of reduced lipid reserves include reduced survival, delayed migration, reduced breeding propensity, and transfer of contaminant burdens to eggs. Food availability, ice cover, and movements of canvasbacks are additional factors influencing contaminant accumulation and lipid reserves in waterfowl utilizing this important wintering location.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kimberley D Hughes
- Broadwing Biological Consulting, 1944 Parkside Drive, Pickering, ON, L1V 3N5, Canada.
| | - Shane R de Solla
- Ecotoxicology and Wildlife Health Division, Environment and Climate Change Canada, Burlington, ON, L7S 1A1, Canada
| | - Michael L Schummer
- Bird Studies Canada/Long Point Waterfowl and Wetlands Research Program, 115 Front Road, Port Rowan, ON, N0E 1M0, Canada
| | - Scott A Petrie
- Delta Waterfowl Foundation, 1412 Basin Avenue, Bismarck, ND, 58504, United States
| | - April White
- Environment and Climate Change Canada, 4905 Dufferin Street, Toronto, ON, M3H 5T4, Canada
| | - Pamela A Martin
- Ecotoxicology and Wildlife Health Division, Environment and Climate Change Canada, Burlington, ON, L7S 1A1, Canada
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