Finding out whether Plasmodium spp. are coevolving with their vertebrate hosts is of both theoretical and applied interest and can influence our understanding of the effects and dynamics of malaria infection. In this study, we tested for local adaptation as a signature of coevolution between malaria blood parasites, Plasmodium spp. and its host, the great tit, Parus major. We conducted a reciprocal transplant experiment of birds in the field, where we exposed birds from two populations to Plasmodium parasites. This experimental set-up also provided a unique opportunity to study the natural history of malaria infection in the wild and to assess the effects of primary malaria infection on juvenile birds. We present three main findings: i) there was no support for local adaptation; ii) there was a male-biased infection rate; iii) infection occurred towards the end of the summer and differed between sites. There were also site-specific effects of malaria infection on the hosts. Taken together, we present one of the few experimental studies of parasite-host local adaptation in a natural malaria system, and our results shed light on the effects of avian malaria infection in the wild.
Malaria infection status and intensity and great tit host morphological data to assess local adaptation between great tit and malaria
These data were collected from great tits for a reciprocal transplant experiment that took place in the Canton de Vaud, Switzerland in the summer of 2013. Bird: ring number. Release Cage: the aviary that birds were released in. Treatment: mal = malarone, pbs= control with phosphate buffered saline. Block: which block birds were in. Nest: the nest of origin of each bird. Site_origin: the site that each bird originated from. Release_site: the site where birds were released (in aviaries for the experiment). Wing_end: wing measurement at the end of the experiment. Tars_end: tarsus length at the end of the experiment. Wgt_end: weight at the end of the experiment. Haem_end: haematocrit at the end of the experiment. Temp_end: temperature at the end of the experiment. July_dayinf: the date that birds got infected (number of days since July 1st). July_dayend: the date of the end of the experiment (number of days since July 1st). inf_end: whether birds were infected at the end of the experiment. logr: log parasitaemia at the end of the experiment (for formula see main text). membr_resist_end: oxidative stress measurement as membrane resistance at the end of the experiment. Wing_max: wing length when infection was at its peak. Tarsus_max: tarsus length at the peak of infection. Wgt_max: the weight at the peak of infection. Haem_max: haematocrit at the peak of infection. Temp_max: the temperature at the peak of infection. membr_resist_max: oxidative stress measurement as membrane resistance at the peak of infection. July_daymax: date at which the maximum parasitaemia was recorded (in number of days since July 1st). logr_max: log parasitaemia at the end of the experiment (for formula see main text)
Jenkins_LA_Greti_Dryad.xlsx
