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Malaria infection status of European Robins seems to associate with timing of autumn migration but not with actual condition

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  14 January 2019

Nóra Ágh Open the ORCID record for Nóra Ágh [Opens in a new window] ,
Imre Sándor Piross ,
Gábor Majoros ,
Tibor Csörgő  and
Eszter Szöllősi
Nóra Ágh*
Affiliation:
MTA-PE Evolutionary Ecology Research Group, University of Pannonia, H-8200 Veszprém, Hungary Conservation Genetic Research Group, Institute of Biology, University of Veterinary Medicine Budapest, H-1078 Budapest, Hungary Department of Biomathematics and Informatics, University of Veterinary Medicine Budapest, H-1078 Budapest, Hungary
Imre Sándor Piross
Affiliation:
Department of Biomathematics and Informatics, University of Veterinary Medicine Budapest, H-1078 Budapest, Hungary
Gábor Majoros
Affiliation:
Department of Parasitology, University of Veterinary Medicine Budapest, H-1078 Budapest, Hungary
Tibor Csörgő
Affiliation:
Department of Anatomy Cell- and Developmental Biology, Eötvös Loránd University, H-1117, Budapest, Hungary
Eszter Szöllősi
Affiliation:
Behavioural Ecology Group, Department of Systematic Zoology and Ecology, Eötvös Loránd University, H-1117 Budapest, Hungary
*
Author for correspondence: Nóra Ágh, E-mail: agh.nora@mk.uni-pannon.hu
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Abstract

Avian malaria parasites can negatively affect many aspects of the life of the passerines. Though these parasites may strongly affect the health and thus migration patterns of the birds also during autumn, previous studies on avian malaria focused mainly on the spring migration and the breeding periods of the birds. We investigated whether the prevalence of blood parasites varies in relation to biometrical traits, body condition and arrival time in the European Robin (Erithacus rubecula) during autumn migration. We found no sex or age related differences in avian malaria prevalence and no relationship between infection status and body size or actual condition of the birds was found either. However, the timing of autumn migration differed marginally between infected and non-infected juveniles, so that parasitized individuals arrived later at the Hungarian stopover site. This is either because avian malaria infections adversely affect the migration timing or migration speed of the birds, or because later arriving individuals come from more distant populations with possibly higher blood parasite prevalence. The possible delay that parasites cause in the arrival time of the birds during autumn migration could affect the whole migratory strategy and the breeding success of the birds in the next season.

Keywords

Arrival timeavian haematozoanbody massCentral EuropeErithacus rubeculahaemoproteusplasmodiumwing length

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Type
Research Article
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Parasitology , Volume 146 , Issue 6 , May 2019 , pp. 814 - 820
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Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2019 

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