Nestling sex and behaviour determine the host preference of insect vectors in avian nests

IF 4.5 1区 生物学 Q1 BIOCHEMISTRY & MOLECULAR BIOLOGY
Marina García-del Río, Francisco Castaño-Vázquez, Javier Martínez, Josué Martínez-de la Puente, Alejandro Cantarero, Javier García-Velasco, Yago Merino, Santiago Merino
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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Sexual differences in pathogen prevalence in wildlife often arise from varying susceptibility influenced by factors such as sex hormones and exposure to pathogens. In the case of vector-borne pathogens, host selection by insect vectors determines the exposure of hosts to infections, largely affecting the transmission of these infectious diseases. We identify the blood-feeding patterns of insect vectors in Blue Tit (Cyanistes caeruleus) nestlings in a 3-year study. Blood from both nestlings and insect vectors (Culicoides spp. and Simuliidae) captured inside nest-boxes were used to molecularly determine the sex of the host. We then compared the sex-ratios of the nestlings that had been bitten and those of the complete brood in each nest. We found that males were bitten more frequently than females in 2021, when males weighed less in comparison to other years. Additionally, we molecularly identified bitten nestlings individually by genotyping the DNA of blood obtained from both, the vector's abdomen and nestlings of each brood in 2022. Nestlings more frequently bitten by vectors were males, weighed less and were closest to the nest entrance. To our knowledge this is the first study identifying the nestling selection by insect vectors in bird nests under natural conditions. These results contribute to understanding the mechanisms of host selection by insect vectors, shedding light on pathogen transmission and offering insights into the observed sex-biased infections in wildlife populations.

Abstract Image

雏鸟的性别和行为决定了鸟巢中昆虫载体的寄主偏好。
野生动物中病原体流行的性别差异通常源于受性激素和接触病原体等因素影响的不同易感性。就病媒传播的病原体而言,昆虫载体的宿主选择决定了宿主的感染风险,在很大程度上影响了这些传染病的传播。我们在一项为期 3 年的研究中确定了蓝山雀(Cyanistes caeruleus)雏鸟的昆虫载体采血模式。巢箱内捕获的雏鸟和昆虫载体(Culicoides spp.和Simuliidae)的血液用于分子测定宿主的性别。然后,我们比较了每个巢中被叮咬的雏鸟和全部雏鸟的性别比例。我们发现,在2021年,雄性被咬的频率高于雌性,而与其他年份相比,这一年雄性的体重较轻。此外,我们还对2022年从载体腹部和每窝雏鸟身上采集的血液进行了DNA基因分型,从而对被咬的雏鸟进行了分子鉴定。被病媒咬伤的雏鸟多为雄性,体重较轻,且离巢穴入口最近。据我们所知,这是首次在自然条件下研究鸟巢中昆虫媒介对雏鸟的选择。这些结果有助于了解昆虫媒介选择宿主的机制,揭示病原体的传播,并为观察到的野生动物种群中的性别偏见感染提供见解。
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来源期刊
Molecular Ecology
Molecular Ecology 生物-进化生物学
CiteScore
8.40
自引率
10.20%
发文量
472
审稿时长
1 months
期刊介绍: Molecular Ecology publishes papers that utilize molecular genetic techniques to address consequential questions in ecology, evolution, behaviour and conservation. Studies may employ neutral markers for inference about ecological and evolutionary processes or examine ecologically important genes and their products directly. We discourage papers that are primarily descriptive and are relevant only to the taxon being studied. Papers reporting on molecular marker development, molecular diagnostics, barcoding, or DNA taxonomy, or technical methods should be re-directed to our sister journal, Molecular Ecology Resources. Likewise, papers with a strongly applied focus should be submitted to Evolutionary Applications. Research areas of interest to Molecular Ecology include: * population structure and phylogeography * reproductive strategies * relatedness and kin selection * sex allocation * population genetic theory * analytical methods development * conservation genetics * speciation genetics * microbial biodiversity * evolutionary dynamics of QTLs * ecological interactions * molecular adaptation and environmental genomics * impact of genetically modified organisms
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