Abstract
The risk that pathogens and parasites pose to endangered species is increasingly evident. Nonetheless, this is frequently overlooked when considering causes of decline of species and conservation practices. Here, we study the ecto and haemoparasites of adult and nestling Lesser grey shrikes Lanius minor from a dense and stable breeding population in central Europe and their effect on host blood parameters. We found three species of haemoparasites (Haemoproteus sp., microfilariae tentatively assigned to the family Splendidofilariae and Trypanosoma sp.) and two ectoparasite taxa (Menacanthus camelinus and feather mites – Acarina-). Our data suggest that the studied population, located in an area with traditional and extensive farming, is not under a strong parasite pressure. Despite this, indirect measures of immunocompetence (haematocrit and sedimentation rate) showed an association between haemoparasites and health status: while haematocrit did not differ between parasitised and non-parasitised individuals, adult shrikes with haematozoa had significantly lower sedimentation rates than did non-parasitised birds.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
S. Altizer D. Harvell E. Friedle (2003) ArticleTitleRapid evolutionary dynamics and disease threats to biodiversity Trends Ecol. Evol. 18 589–596 Occurrence Handle10.1016/j.tree.2003.08.013
G.F. Bennett F. Thommes J. Blancou M. Artois (1982a) ArticleTitleBlood parasites of some birds from the Lorraine region, France J. Wildlife Dis. 18 81–88 Occurrence Handle1:STN:280:Bi2B2c3js1I%3D
G.F. Bennett M. Whiteway C.B. Woodworth-Lynas (1982b) A host–parasite catalogue of the avian Haematozoa. Occasional Papers in Biology 5 Memorial University of Newfoundland Newfoundland, Canada 240
G.F. Bennett A.A. Aguirre R.S. Cook (1991) ArticleTitleBlood parasites of some birds from northeastern Mexico J. Parasitol. 77 38–41 Occurrence Handle1992093 Occurrence Handle1:STN:280:By6C38vitVI%3D Occurrence Handle10.2307/3282552
G.F. Bennett M.A. Peirce R.A. Earle (1990) ArticleTitleThe Haemoproteids of the shrikes of the avian family Laniidae (Passeriformes) S. Afr. J. Zool. 25 194–198
M. Bishop G.F. Bennett (1992) Host–parasite catalogue of the avian haematozoa. Supplement 1. Occasional Papers in Biology 15 Memorial University of Newfoundland Newfoundland, Canada 245
G. Blanco J. Puente ParticleDe la M. Corroto T. Baz J. Colas (2001) ArticleTitleCondition-dependent immune defence in the Magpie: how important is ectoparasitism? Biol. J. Linn. Soc. 72 279–286 Occurrence Handle10.1006/bijl.2000.0503
G. Blanco S. Merino J.L. Tella J.A. Fargallo A. Gajón (1997) ArticleTitleHematozoa in two populations of the threatened Red-billed Chough in Spain J. Wildlife Dis. 33 642–645 Occurrence Handle1:STN:280:ByiA1MzhvFw%3D
T. Clay G.H.E. Hopkins (1951) ArticleTitleThe early literature on Mallophaga (part II, 1763–1775) Bull. Br. Mus. (Nat. His.) Entomol. 2 1–37
J.E. Cooper (Eds) (1989) Disease and Threatened birds United Kingdom BirdLife International Cambridge
J.E. Cooper M.A. Anwar (2001) ArticleTitleBlood parasites of birds: a plea for more cautious terminology Ibis 143 149–150
A.D. Cuaron M.A. Martinez-Morales K.W. McFadden D. Valenzuela M.E. Gompper (2004) ArticleTitleThe status of dwarf carnivores on Cozumel IslandMexico Biodivers. Conserv. 13 317–331 Occurrence Handle10.1023/B:BIOC.0000006501.80472.cc
P. Daszak A.A. Cunningham A.D. Hyatt (2000) ArticleTitleWildlife ecology–Emerging infectious diseases of wildlife–Threats to biodiversity and human health Science 287 443–449 Occurrence Handle10642539 Occurrence Handle1:CAS:528:DC%2BD3cXntl2jtw%3D%3D Occurrence Handle10.1126/science.287.5452.443
P. Daszak A.A. Cunningham A.D. Hyatt (2003) ArticleTitleInfectious disease and amphibian population declines Divers. Distrib. 9 141–150 Occurrence Handle10.1046/j.1472-4642.2003.00016.x
W.F. Font (2003) ArticleTitleThe global spread of parasites: what do Hawaiian streams tell us? BioScience 53 1061–1067
E. García-Berthou (2001) ArticleTitleOn the misuse of residuals in ecology: testing regression residuals vs. the analysis of covariance J. Anim. Ecol. 70 708–711 Occurrence Handle10.1046/j.1365-2656.2001.00524.x
R.D. Godfrey A.M. Fedynich D.B. Pence (1987) ArticleTitleQuantification of hematozoa in blood smears J. Wildlife Dis. 23 558–565
M. Herremans (1997) ArticleTitleHabitat segregation of male and female Red-backed Shrike Lanius collurio and Lesser Grey Shrike Lanius minor in the Kalahari basin, Botswana J. Avian Biol. 28 240–248
M. Hromada V. Dudiňák R. Yosef (2000) ArticleTitleAn inside-out perspective of the true shrikes – a review of the helminthofauna Ring 22 185–204
A. Krištín H. Hoi F. Valera C. Hoi (2000) ArticleTitleBreeding biology and breeding success of the Lesser Grey Shrike (Lanius minor) in a stable and dense population Ibis 142 305–311
J. Krištofík Z. šustek P. Mašán (2002) ArticleTitleArthropods (PseudoscorpionidaAcariColeopteraSiphonaptera) in the nests of red-backed shrike (Lanius collurio) and Lesser grey shrike (Lanius minor) Biologia 57 603–613
Lefranc N. 1995. Decline and current status of the Lesser Grey Shrike (Lanius minor) in Western Europe. In: Yosef R. and Lohrer F.E. (eds), Shrikes (Lanius) of the World: Biology and Conservation. Proceedings of the Western Foundation of Vertebrate Zoology, Vol. 6. San ClementeIs., California, pp. 93–97.
N. Lefranc (1997) Shrikes and the Farmed Landscape in France D.J. Pain M.W. Pienkowski (Eds) Farming and Birds in Europe Academic Press London 236–268
N. Lefranc T. Worfolk (1997) Shrikes. A Guide to the Shrikes of the World Pica Press Sussex
J. Loye S. Carroll (1995) ArticleTitleBirds, bugs and blood: Avian parasitism and conservation Trends Ecol. Evol. 10 232–235 Occurrence Handle10.1016/S0169-5347(00)89072-2
M.I. Lunkaschu (1970) ArticleTitleTwo new species of Mallophaga of the genus Brüelia Kéler from passerines of Moldavia Izvesti Akad. Nauk Moldavsko SSR (Ser. Biol.) 1 53–57
R.M. May (1988) ArticleTitleConservation and disease Conserv. Biol. 2 26–30 Occurrence Handle10.1111/j.1523-1739.1988.tb00332.x
J. Merila M. Bjorklund G.F. Bennett (1995) ArticleTitleGeographic and individual variation in haematozoan infections in the greenfinchCarduelis chloris Can. J. Zool. 73 1798–1804 Occurrence Handle10.1139/z95-212
S. Merino J. Potti (1995) ArticleTitleHigh prevalence of hematozoa of a passerine species, the Pied Flycatcher (Ficedula hypoleuca) Auk 112 1041–1043
S. Merino J. Potti J.A. Fargallo (1997) ArticleTitleBlood parasites of passerine birds from Central Spain J. Wildlife Dis. 33 638–641 Occurrence Handle1:STN:280:ByiA1MzhvFM%3D
NCCLS 2000. Reference and Selected Procedure for the Erythrocyte Sedimentation Rate (ESR) Test; Approved Standard- Fourth Edition. NCCLS document H2-A4. NCCLS, Pennsylvania.
E.L O’Brien B.L. Morrison L.S. Johnson (2001) ArticleTitleAssessing the effects of haematophagous ectoparasites on the health of nestling birds: haematocrit vs. haemoglobin levels in House Wrens parasitized by blowfly larvae J. Avian Biol. 32 73–76 Occurrence Handle10.1034/j.1600-048X.2001.320110.x
I. Ots P. Horak (1998) ArticleTitleHealth impact of blood parasites in breeding great tits Oecologia 116 441–448 Occurrence Handle10.1007/s004420050608
R.D. Price (1977) ArticleTitleThe Menacanthus (Mallophaga: Menoponidae) of the Passeriformes (Aves) J. Med. Entomol. 14 207–220 Occurrence Handle606822 Occurrence Handle1:STN:280:CSeC3M7jsVY%3D
O. Rätti R. Dufva R.V. Alatalo (1993) ArticleTitleBlood parasites and male fitness in the pied flycatcher Oecologia 96 410–414 Occurrence Handle10.1007/BF00317512
S.C. Sharma B.B. Bathia S.P. Pachauri (1984) ArticleTitleBlood cellular and biochemical studies in chicken experimentally infected with Toxocara canis Int. J. Parasitol. 8 159–163 Occurrence Handle1:CAS:528:DyaL2MXktlagtQ%3D%3D
P. Shurulinkov V. Golemansky (2003) ArticleTitle Plasmodium and Leucocytozoon (Sporozoa: Haemosporida) of wild birds in Bulgaria Acta Protozool. 42 205–214
M. Skoracki M. Hromada P. Tryjanowski (2001) ArticleTitleDescription of a new species of quill mite Syringophiloidus weiszii sp. n. (AcariProstigmataSyringophilidae) from great grey shrike Lanius excubitor Acta Parasitol. 46 30–34
M. Skoracki P. Tryjanowski M. Hromada (2002) ArticleTitleTwo new species of the genus Syringophilopsis Kethley, 1970 (Acari: Syringophilidae) parasitizing quills of true shrikes (Aves: Laniidae) Parasite 9 11–16 Occurrence Handle11938690 Occurrence Handle1:STN:280:DC%2BD383gsFyntw%3D%3D
T. Szép A.P. Moller (2000) ArticleTitleExposure to ectoparasites increases within-brood variability in size and body mass in the sand martin Oecologia 125 201–207 Occurrence Handle10.1007/s004420000447
J.L. Tella M.G. Forero A. Gajón F. Hiraldo J.A. Donazar (1996) ArticleTitleAbsence of blood-parasitization effects on Lesser kestrel fitness Auk 113 253–256
G.M. Tucker M. Heath (1994) Birds in Europe. Their Conservation Status BirdLife Conservation Series No 3 Cambridge
J. Votýpka J. Simek P. Tryjanowski (2003) ArticleTitleBlood parasites, reproduction and sexual selection in the red-backed shrike (Lanius collurio) Ann. Zool. Fenn. 40 431–439
H. Weissenböck J. Kolodziejek A. Url H. Lussy B. Rebel-Bauder N. Nowotny (2002) ArticleTitleEmergence of Usutu virusan African mosquito-borne Flavivirus of the Japanese Encephalitis Virus Group, Central Europe Emerg. Infect. Dis. 8 652–656 Occurrence Handle12095429
R. Yosef (1994) ArticleTitleEvaluation of the global decline in the true shrikes (family Laniidae) Auk 111 228–233
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Valera, F., Hoi, H. & KrištÍn, A. Parasite Pressure and its Effects on Blood Parameters in a Stable and Dense Population of the Endangered Lesser Grey Shrike. Biodivers Conserv 15, 2187–2195 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10531-004-6902-z
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10531-004-6902-z