Habitat, world geographic range, and embryonic development of hosts explain the prevalence of avian hematozoa at small spatial and phylogenetic scales

Citation
Jl. Tella et al., Habitat, world geographic range, and embryonic development of hosts explain the prevalence of avian hematozoa at small spatial and phylogenetic scales, P NAS US, 96(4), 1999, pp. 1785-1789
Citations number
53
Categorie Soggetti
Multidisciplinary
Journal title
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
ISSN journal
00278424 → ACNP
Volume
96
Issue
4
Year of publication
1999
Pages
1785 - 1789
Database
ISI
SICI code
0027-8424(19990216)96:4<1785:HWGRAE>2.0.ZU;2-O
Abstract
The factors explaining interspecific differences in prevalences of blood pa rasites in birds are poorly known. We simultaneously assessed 20 social, ec ological, life history, and sampling-related variables that could influence hemoparasite prevalences among diurnal birds of prey in Spain. Our results show that multiple factors are responsible for the studied host-parasite a ssociation. We confirmed for the first time that prevalence is inversely co rrelated to the embryonic development period, and thus probably to immune p erformance, even among closely related birds, Macrohabitat features related to vector availability are also important, prevalences being higher in spe cies breeding in forested habitats. Finally, prevalence is positively corre lated with the host's world geographic range. We hypothesize that larger ge ographic ranges offered more opportunities for host-vector-hemoparasite ass ociations to become established. The results from our multivariate analyses differ from those obtained through univariate ones, showing that all poten tial factors should be assessed jointly when testing any ecological or evol utionary hypothesis dealing with parasites.