Grupo de Investigación en Ecología Animal, Departamento de Biología, Universidad del Valle, Calle 13 No 100-00, Edif. E20, Room 3120, Cali, Colombia.
Grupo de Investigación en Ecofisiología, Evolución y Biogeografía, Departamento de Biología, Universidad del Valle, Cali, Colombia.
Malar J. 2019 Apr 11;18(1):129. doi: 10.1186/s12936-019-2699-9.
Avian haemosporidia are obligate blood parasites with an ample range of hosts worldwide. To understand how host communities may influence the diversity of parasites of the neotropics, the spatial genetic variation of avian Plasmodium, Haemoproteus, and Leucocytozoon was examined between areas of host endemism and along the elevational gradient in the tropical Andes.
A total of 1686 accessions of the cytochrome b gene of avian haemosporidia were selected from 43 publications, that further provides additional information on 14.2% of bird species in the Neotropics. Haplotype groups were identified using a similarity-based clustering of sequences using a cut-off level ≥ 99.3% of sequence identity. Phylogenetic-based analyses were implemented to examine the spatial genetic structure of avian haemosporidia among areas of host endemism and the elevation gradient in the tropical Andes.
The areas of avian endemism, including the tropical Andes, can explain the differential distribution of the haemosporidia cytochrome b gene variation. In the tropical Andes region, the total number of avian haemosporidia haplotypes follows a unimodal pattern that peaks at mid-elevation between 2000 and 2500 m above sea level. Furthermore, the haplotype assemblages of obligate blood parasites tend to overlap towards mid-elevation, where avian host diversity tends to be maximized.
Spatial analyses revealed that richness and turnover in haemosporidia suggest an association with montane host diversity, according to elevation in the tropical Andes. In addition, the spatial distribution of haemosporidia diversity is closely associated with patterns of host assemblages over large geographical scale in the tropical Andes and areas of avian endemism nearby.
禽类血孢子虫是一种广泛宿主的专性血液寄生虫。为了了解宿主群落如何影响新热带地区寄生虫的多样性，本研究在安第斯热带地区的宿主特有区域之间以及海拔梯度上，检查了鸟类疟原虫、血鞭毛虫和白细胞虫的空间遗传变异。
从 43 篇文献中选择了 1686 个禽类血孢子虫细胞色素 b 基因的序列，这些文献进一步提供了新热带地区 14.2%鸟类物种的额外信息。使用序列相似性聚类的方法，以序列同一性≥99.3%的截断水平来识别单倍型群。基于系统发育的分析被用来检验宿主特有区域和安第斯热带地区海拔梯度之间禽类血孢子虫的空间遗传结构。
包括安第斯热带地区在内的鸟类特有区域可以解释血孢子虫细胞色素 b 基因变异的差异分布。在安第斯热带地区，禽类血孢子虫的总单倍型数量呈现出单峰模式，在海拔 2000-2500 米之间达到峰值。此外，专性血液寄生虫的单倍型组合倾向于在中海拔处重叠，而鸟类宿主的多样性则在中海拔处达到最大值。
空间分析表明，血孢子虫的丰富度和周转率与安第斯热带地区的山地宿主多样性有关。此外，血孢子虫多样性的空间分布与热带安第斯地区和附近鸟类特有地区的宿主组合模式在大地理尺度上密切相关。
