Prevalence and intensity of avian malaria in a quail hybrid zone |
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| Authors: | Allison M. Roth Carl N. Keiser Judson B. Williams Jennifer M. Gee |
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| Affiliation: | 1. Department of Biology, University of Florida, Gainesville FL, USA ; 2. Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton NJ, USA ;3.Present address: Department of Surgery, Duke University, Raleigh NC, USA ;4.Present address: James San Jacinto Mountains Reserve, University of California – Riverside, University of California Natural Reserve System, Idyllwild CA, USA |
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| Abstract: | Hybrid zones have been described as natural laboratories by researchers who study speciation and the various mechanisms that may affect gene flow. The evolutionary consequences of hybridization depend not only on reproductive compatibility between sympatric species, but also on factors like vulnerability to each other''s predators and parasites. We examined infection patterns of the blood parasite Haemoproteus lophortyx, a causative agent of avian malaria, at a site in the contact zone between California quail (Callipepla californica) and Gambel''s quail (C. gambelii). Controlling for the potential influence of sex and year, we tested whether species identity predicted infection status and intensity. We found that infection prevalence was lower in California and hybrid quail compared with Gambel''s quail. However, infected California and hybrid quail had higher infection intensities than Gambel''s quail. California and hybrid quail exhibited no significant differences in prevalence or intensity of infection. These findings suggest that infection by H. lophortyx has the potential to influence species barrier dynamics in this system; however, more work is necessary to determine the exact evolutionary consequences of this blood parasite on hybridization. |
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| Keywords: | blood parasite California quail Callipepla Gambel''s quail Haemoproteus lophortyx species barriers |
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