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Diversification and host switching in avian malaria parasites
Robert E Ricklefs1, Sylvia M Fallon
1Department of Biology, University of Missouri-St Louis, St Louis, MO 63121-4499, USA. ricklefs@umsl.edu
Proceedings. Biological Sciences
|May 25, 2002
Summary
Avian malaria parasites (Plasmodium and Haemoproteus) show strong host and geographic fidelity, with host switching being infrequent and unpredictable over evolutionary history.
Area of Science:
- Evolutionary biology
- Parasitology
- Molecular evolution
Background:
- Host switching in parasites can lead to the emergence of new diseases, impacting human and animal health.
- Understanding parasite-host evolutionary dynamics is crucial for disease management and conservation efforts.
Purpose of the Study:
- To statistically assess host switching in avian malaria parasites (Plasmodium and Haemoproteus) using a phylogenetic approach.
- To investigate the coevolutionary history and diversification patterns between avian malaria parasites and their hosts.
Main Methods:
- Phylogenetic analysis of a large sample of avian malaria parasites and their hosts.
- Comparative analysis of parasite and host phylogenetic trees to detect cospeciation and host switching events.
- Estimation of molecular evolutionary rates using mitochondrial DNA sequence divergence.
Main Results:
- Parasite lineages exhibited significant host and geographical fidelity at low sequence divergence (1.2%).
- Significant cospeciation was detected between parasite and host phylogenetic trees.
- Host switching and dispersal effects obscured phylogenetic signals before 4% sequence divergence.
- Mitochondrial DNA substitution rates were faster in hosts than in parasites.
Conclusions:
- Avian malaria parasites diversified in concert with their modern avian hosts.
- Despite being a feature of their evolutionary history, host switching in avian malaria parasites is infrequent and unpredictable on relevant timescales for public health and wildlife management.