Abstract
We studied the consequences of chronic infections by three different lineages of avian malaria, two Plasmodium (RTSR1, LK6) and one Haemoproteus (LK2), on reproductive performance of Lesser Kestrels (Falco naumanni). Malaria infections in male and female parents had no effect on clutch size, hatching success or nesting success. However, when only successful nests were considered, we found that males parasitized by LK6 raised a lower number of fledglings, suggesting that the level of parental effort by males may be limited by this particular lineage of Plasmodium. This effect was not evident in females, probably due to the higher investment of males during the chick rearing period in this species. Overall, we have found that chronic stages of specific malaria lineages have certain negative consequences on host reproductive performance, highlighting the importance of considering genetic differences among malaria parasites to study their consequences on natural bird populations.
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Acknowledgments
This manuscript was greatly improved by the comments of Robert E. Ricklefs and an anonymous reviewer. This work received financial support from the projects: CGL2005-05611-C02-02/BOS (Ministerio de Educación Ciencia) and PAI05-053 (Junta de Comunidades de Castilla-La Mancha). During this work J.O and G.C. were supported by predoctoral fellowships from the Junta de Comunidades de Castilla-La Mancha and the European Social Fund. We performed all the laboratory work at the Laboratory of Genetics of the IREC and sequencing was performed by the Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas (CSIC) of Madrid. We manipulated and banded Lesser Kestrels under license from the Spanish institutional authorities (Environmental Agency of the Community of Castilla-La Mancha and the Ringing Office of the Ministry of Environment) and we followed general ethical guidelines for animal welfare and nature conservation.
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Communicated by F. Bairlein.
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Ortego, J., Cordero, P.J., Aparicio, J.M. et al. Consequences of chronic infections with three different avian malaria lineages on reproductive performance of Lesser Kestrels (Falco naumanni). J Ornithol 149, 337–343 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10336-008-0287-9
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10336-008-0287-9