An inverse latitudinal gradient in infection probability and phylogenetic diversity for Leucocytozoon blood parasites in New World birds

FECCHIO, ALAN; BELL, JEFFREY A.; BOSHOLN, MARIANE; VAUGHAN, JEFFERSON A.; TKACH, VASYL V.; LUTZ, HOLLY L.; CUETO, VICTOR R.; GOROSITO, CRISTIAN A.; GONZÁLEZ?ACUÑA, DANIEL; STROMLUND, CHAD; KVASAGER, DANIELLE; COMICHE, KIBA J. M.; KIRCHGATTER, KARIN; PINHO, JOÃO B.; BERV, JACOB; ANCIÃES, MARINA; FONTANA, CARLA S.; ZYSKOWSKI, KRISTOF; SAMPAIO, SIDNEI; DISPOTO, JANICE H.; GALEN, SPENCER C.; WECKSTEIN, JASON D.; CLARK, NICHOLAS J.

JOURNAL OF ANIMAL ECOLOGY

WILEY-BLACKWELL PUBLISHING, INC

Lugar: Londres; Año: 2020 vol. 89 p. 423 - 435

0021-8790

1. Geographic variation in environmental conditions as well as host traits that promote parasitetransmission may impact infection rates and community assembly of vector transmitted parasites.2. Identifying the ecological, environmental, and historical determinants of parasite distributions anddiversity is therefore necessary to understand disease outbreaks under changing environments. Here,we identified the predictors and contributions of infection probability and phylogenetic diversity ofLeucocytozoon (an avian blood parasite) at site and species levels across the New World.3. To explore spatial patterns in infection probability and lineage diversity for Leucocytozoonparasites, we surveyed 69 bird communities from Alaska to Patagonia. Using phylogenetic Bayesianhierarchical models and high-resolution satellite remote sensing data we determined the relativeinfluence of climate, landscape, geography, and host phylogeny on regional parasite communityassembly.4. Infection rates and parasite diversity exhibited considerable variation across regions in theAmericas. In opposition to the latitudinal gradient hypothesis, both the diversity and prevalence ofLeucocytozoon parasites decreased toward the equator. Host relatedness and traits known to promotevector exposure neither predicted infection probability nor parasite diversity. Instead, the probabilityof a bird being infected with Leucocytozoon increased with increasing vegetation cover (NDVI) andmoisture levels (NDWI), whereas the diversity of parasite lineages decreased with increasing NDVI.Infection rates and parasite diversity also tended to be higher in cooler regions and higher latitudes.5. Whereas temperature partially constrains Leucocytozoon diversity and infection rates, landscapefeatures, such as vegetation cover and water body availability, play a significant role in modulatingthe probability of a bird being infected. This suggests that, for Leucocytozoon, the barriers to hostshifting and parasite host range expansion are jointly determined by environmental filtering andlandscape, but not by host phylogeny. Our results show that integrating host traits, host ancestry,bioclimatic data, and microhabitat characteristics that are important for vector reproduction areimperative to understand and predict infection prevalence and diversity of vector-transmittedparasites. Unlike other vector-transmitted diseases, our results show that Leucocytozoon diversity andprevalence will likely decrease with warming temperatures.