Abstract
Parasites inhabit practically all environments of the planet, representing an important selective pressure on different traits, including behavior. However, there is limited knowledge on the relationship between haemosporidian infection and the behavior of birds. In this study, we recorded risk-taking behaviors exhibited during three behavioral tests: struggle in the hand, open-field, and simulated territorial intrusion, in a resident population of thorn-tailed Rayadito (Aphrastura spinicauda) located on Navarino Island (55°S), southern Chile. This population shows a high prevalence of the haemosporidian Leucocytozoon spp., providing us with an opportunity to explore the connection between this parasite and the risk-taking behaviors of a Neotropical bird species. Our results indicate that birds infected by Leucocytozoon spp. exhibit higher activity scores in the behavioral tests, suggesting that individuals infected may be more propensity for risky behaviors. These findings raise intriguing questions about whether behavior precedes infection or results from it.
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Acknowledgements
We thank Ana Pineiro, Silvia Lazzarino, Fabiola Canepa, Patricio Castwell, Gabriela Südel, Camila Bravo, Javier Bustos, and Omar Barroso for their collaboration during fieldwork.
Funding
This study was funded by grants from FONDECYT (Nos. 1100359, 1140548, 11130245, 1170972), grant ICM-P05-002, PFB-23 CONICYT-Chile, AFB170008-IEB, ANID-BASAL FB210018 CHIC, graduate fellowship CONICYT-Chile 21130127 (Y.P.), Regular Research Project Grant Fund Universidad de Las Américas, code DI-41/22 (Y.P). Initiation Research Dirección General de Investigación, University Andres Bello, and British Ornithologists’ Union (BOU) for helping to fund this study via a Small Research Grant (E.C.).
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YP conceived the idea, collected and analyzed the data, and wrote the manuscript. EC conduced the laboratory work, analyzed data, and edited the manuscript. EBD provided assistance with the design of field and laboratory protocols and edited the manuscript. PEH provided assistance with the fieldwork and edited the manuscript. VQ provided assistance with the laboratory protocols and edited the manuscript. RAV supervised the research and edited the manuscript.
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All birds were captured and marked according to the regulations of Servicio Agrıcola y Ganadero (SAG, permits 5193/6295) and the Corporacion Nacional Forestal (CONAF). This research was carried out under the supervision of the Ethics Committee of the Science Faculty, Universidad de Chile.
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Poblete, Y., Cuevas, É., Botero-Delgadillo, E. et al. Risk-taking behavior relates to Leucocytozoon spp. infection in a sub-Antarctic rainforest bird. acta ethol (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10211-024-00437-9
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10211-024-00437-9