Impacts of selective logging on haemosporidian infection and physiological correlates in tropical birds

Simone Messina; David Paul Edwards; Natalie Van Houtte; Suzanne Tomassi; Suzan Benedick; Marcel Eens; David Costantini

doi:10.1016/j.ijpara.2021.07.003

Impacts of selective logging on haemosporidian infection and physiological correlates in tropical birds

Int J Parasitol. 2022 Jan;52(1):87-96. doi: 10.1016/j.ijpara.2021.07.003. Epub 2021 Aug 24.

Authors

Simone Messina¹, David Paul Edwards², Natalie Van Houtte³, Suzanne Tomassi², Suzan Benedick⁴, Marcel Eens⁵, David Costantini⁶

Affiliations

¹ Behavioural Ecology & Ecophysiology Group, Department of Biology, University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1, 2610 Wilrijk, Belgium. Electronic address: simone.messina@uantwerpen.be.
² Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield S10 2TN, UK.
³ Evolutionary Ecology Group, Department of Biology, University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1, 2610 Wilrijk, Belgium.
⁴ School of Sustainable Agriculture, Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Malaysia.
⁵ Behavioural Ecology & Ecophysiology Group, Department of Biology, University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1, 2610 Wilrijk, Belgium.
⁶ UMR 7221 CNRS/MNHN, Muséum National d'Histoirie Naturelle, Sorbonne Universités, 7 rue Cuvier, 75005 Paris, France.

PMID: 34450133
DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpara.2021.07.003

Abstract

Tropical forest degradation affects host-parasite interactions, determining the probability of animals acquiring an infection. The activation of an immune response to fight off infections requires energy and other resources such as antioxidants which may be redirected from growth and reproduction. A key question is how selective logging-the most common form of tropical forest degradation-impacts the prevalence of avian haemosporidian infection and its correlated physiological responses (nutritional and oxidative status markers). We investigated the prevalence of Plasmodium, Haemoproteus, and Leucocytozoon parasites in 14 understorey bird species in lowland, logged and unlogged, old-growth forests of Borneo. Prevalences of infections were similar between selectively logged and unlogged forests. To explore nutritional and oxidative status effects of haemosporidian infections, we examined associations between infections and plasma proteins, plasma triglycerides, and multiple blood-based markers of oxidative status, testing for an impact of selective logging on those markers. Birds infected with Plasmodium showed higher levels of plasma proteins and non-enzymatic antioxidant capacity, and lower levels of plasma triglycerides and glutathione, compared with haemosporidian-free individuals. Conversely, birds infected with Haemoproteus showed no changes in nutritional or physiological markers compared with uninfected individuals. These results indicate higher metabolic and physiological costs of controlling Plasmodium infection, compared with Haemoproteus, possibly due to higher pathogenicity of Plasmodium. Selectively logged forests had no effect on the responses of birds to infection, suggesting that the environmental conditions of degraded forests do not appear to induce any appreciable physiological demands in parasitised birds.

Keywords: Avian haemosporidian; Blood parasite; Forest disturbance; Nutrition; Oxidative status; Selective logging.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Animals
Bird Diseases* / epidemiology
Bird Diseases* / parasitology
Birds / parasitology
Haemosporida*
Plasmodium*
Prevalence
Triglycerides

Substances

Triglycerides