• myGriffith
    • Staff portal
    • Contact Us⌄
      • Future student enquiries 1800 677 728
      • Current student enquiries 1800 154 055
      • International enquiries +61 7 3735 6425
      • General enquiries 07 3735 7111
      • Online enquiries
      • Staff phonebook
    View Item 
    •   Home
    • Griffith Research Online
    • Journal articles
    • View Item
    • Home
    • Griffith Research Online
    • Journal articles
    • View Item
    JavaScript is disabled for your browser. Some features of this site may not work without it.

    Browse

  • All of Griffith Research Online
    • Communities & Collections
    • Authors
    • By Issue Date
    • Titles
  • This Collection
    • Authors
    • By Issue Date
    • Titles
  • Statistics

  • Most Popular Items
  • Statistics by Country
  • Most Popular Authors
  • Support

  • Contact us
  • FAQs
  • Admin login

  • Login
  • The influence of vagrant hosts and weather patterns on the colonization and persistence of blood parasites in an island bird

    Thumbnail
    View/Open
    99891_1.pdf (493.1Kb)
    Author(s)
    Clark, Nicholas J
    Clegg, Sonya M
    Griffith University Author(s)
    Clegg, Sonya
    Clark, Nick
    Year published
    2015
    Metadata
    Show full item record
    Abstract
    Aim Colonization and extinction are important drivers of island biogeography, but they are difficult to study. We used a long-term dataset to determine the mechanisms that contribute to colonization and persistence for vector-borne blood parasites in an island population of birds that regularly receives infected vagrant conspecifics and wind-assisted potential vectors from the mainland. Location Heron Island (Australia) and the Australian mainland. Methods We determined the prevalence, temporal stability and host-specificity of Haemoproteus and Plasmodium parasites in resident and mainland-vagrant silvereyes (Zosterops ...
    View more >
    Aim Colonization and extinction are important drivers of island biogeography, but they are difficult to study. We used a long-term dataset to determine the mechanisms that contribute to colonization and persistence for vector-borne blood parasites in an island population of birds that regularly receives infected vagrant conspecifics and wind-assisted potential vectors from the mainland. Location Heron Island (Australia) and the Australian mainland. Methods We determined the prevalence, temporal stability and host-specificity of Haemoproteus and Plasmodium parasites in resident and mainland-vagrant silvereyes (Zosterops lateralis) on Heron Island over seven years (1999-2003 and 2012-2013). We carried out simulations using mainland infection data and vagrant arrival scenarios to test whether transmission from vagrants influences infection patterns in island residents. We tested whether variation in island parasite prevalence was predicted by abiotic factors associated with vector breeding and dispersal. Results Parasite prevalence and composition on the island varied considerably across years. Host-specialist Haemoproteus species exhibited lower prevalence than expected and frequent absence despite a high probability of arriving via vagrants. In contrast, host-generalist Plasmodium species exhibited a low probability of arriving via vagrants but were temporally persistent in island silvereyes. Increases in prevalence and diversity of Plasmodium species were associated with episodes of offshore winds. Main conclusions This study shows that parasites that are abundant in source populations do not necessarily exhibit increased colonization success via vagrant host movement. Vagrant silvereyes are not likely to shape infection patterns in island-resident silvereyes. Instead, indirect evidence of associations between weather patterns and parasite dynamics suggests that the insular parasite community may be limited by vector establishment. Our results support the hypothesis that host-specificity is important in determining a parasite's ability to persist on islands, with host-specialists at greater risk of failing to establish after their initial arrival.
    View less >
    Journal Title
    Journal of Biogeography
    DOI
    https://doi.org/10.1111/jbi.12454
    Copyright Statement
    © 2014 Blackwell Publishing Ltd. This is the pre-peer reviewed version of the following article: The influence of vagrant hosts and weather patterns on the colonization and persistence of blood parasites in an island bird, Journal of Biogeography, which has been published in final form at dx.doi.org/10.1111/jbi.12454.
    Subject
    Earth sciences
    Environmental sciences
    Ecosystem function
    Landscape ecology
    Biological sciences
    Population ecology
    Publication URI
    http://hdl.handle.net/10072/65735
    Collection
    • Journal articles

    Footer

    Disclaimer

    • Privacy policy
    • Copyright matters
    • CRICOS Provider - 00233E
    • TEQSA: PRV12076

    Tagline

    • Gold Coast
    • Logan
    • Brisbane - Queensland, Australia
    First Peoples of Australia
    • Aboriginal
    • Torres Strait Islander