Avian malaria-mediated population decline of a widespread iconic bird species

Dadum, Daria; Robinson, Robert; Clements, Anabel; Peach, Will; Bennett, Malcolm; Rowcliffe, J Marcus; Cunningham, Andrew

Abstract

Parasites have the capacity to affect animal populations by modifying host survival, and it is increasingly recognised that infectious disease can negatively impact biodiversity. Populations of the house sparrow (Passer domesticus) have declined in many European towns and ities, but the causes of these declines remain unclear. We investigated associations between parasite infection and house sparrow demography across suburban London where sparrow abundance has declined by 71% since 1995. Plasmodium relictum infection was found at higher prevalences (averaging 74%) in suburban London house sparrows than previously recorded in any wild bird population in Northern Europe. Survival rates of juvenile and adult sparrows and population growth rate were negatively related to Plasmodium relictum infection intensity. Other parasites were much less prevalent and exhibited no relationship with sparrow survival and no negative relationship with population growth. Low rates of co-infection suggested sparrows were not immunocompromised. Our findings indicate that P. relictum infection may be influencing house sparrow population dynamics in suburban areas. The demographic sensitivity of the house sparrow to P. relictum infection in London might reflect a recent increase in exposure to this parasite.

Citation

Dadum, D., Robinson, R., Clements, A., Peach, W., Bennett, M., Rowcliffe, J. M., & Cunningham, A. (2019). Avian malaria-mediated population decline of a widespread iconic bird species. Royal Society Open Science, 6(7), 182197. https://doi.org/10.1098/rsos.182197

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Jun 13, 2019
• Online Publication Date: Jul 17, 2019
• Publication Date: Jul 17, 2019
• Deposit Date: Jun 13, 2019
• Publicly Available Date: Jul 26, 2019
• Journal: Royal Society Open Science
• Electronic ISSN: 2054-5703
• Publisher: The Royal Society
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 6
• Issue: 7
• Pages: 182197
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1098/rsos.182197
• Public URL: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/2186300
• Publisher URL: https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsos.182197
• Additional Information: Received: 2018-12-23; Accepted: 2019-06-13; Published: 2019-07-17