Article
Parasitology
Andrea Miranda Paez, Kayleigh Chalkowski, Sarah Zohdy, Janna R. Willoughby
Summary: This article provides an overview of avian malaria, including its transmission, impact on ecosystems, and management strategies for vulnerable bird populations.
PARASITES & VECTORS
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Antoine Filion, Lucas Deschamps, Chris N. Niebuhr, Robert Poulin
Summary: Anthropogenic changes can have significant impacts on wild populations and contribute to the emergence of diseases, such as avian malaria, which threaten native bird species in New Zealand. Understanding the cascading effects of human modifications on fragile species is crucial for conservation efforts.
Article
Infectious Diseases
Tanja Himmel, Josef Harl, Julia Matt, Herbert Weissenboeck
Summary: The study investigated avian mortality in Austria and found a 31% infection rate of haemosporidian parasites in birds, with finches and tits being the most affected species. Most infected birds showed low parasite burdens in the blood and tissues, ruling out a significant contribution of haemosporidian infections to morbidity or death of the examined birds.
Article
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
Emma Gulliver, Stuart Hunter, Laryssa Howe, Fernanda Castillo-Alcala
Summary: Avian malaria caused by Plasmodium species is a known cause of mortality in avifauna worldwide. Through analyzing the pathology of kiwi birds, this study reveals the impact of this disease on New Zealand's endemic avian species.
Article
Ecology
Antoine Filion, Trudi Webster, Robert Poulin, Stephanie S. Godfrey
Summary: In recent years, there has been an increase in infectious diseases in wildlife, particularly vector-borne diseases, which poses a challenge for the conservation of endangered species. Avian malaria, for example, is on the rise in New Zealand avifauna, threatening bird populations that are already at risk of extinction. This study aimed to investigate the role of climatic drivers, as well as the impact of introduced species, in the emergence and spread of avian malaria.
Article
Plant Sciences
Evans Effah, D. Paul Barrett, Paul G. Peterson, Murray A. Potter, Jarmo K. Holopainen, Andrea Clavijo McCormick
Summary: This study explored natural volatile emissions of the endemic shrub D. subulatum in the North Island of New Zealand and found that higher temperatures in summer significantly increased emissions. The impacts of soil moisture content, phosphorus, and potassium on emissions were variable and depended on the chemical class.
FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Romain Chaput, Calvin N. Quigley, Simon B. Weppe, Andrew G. Jeffs, Joao M. A. C. de Souza, Jonathan P. A. Gardner
Summary: Aquaculture of New Zealand's green-lipped mussel heavily relies on the wild mussel spat supply from Ninety Mile Beach in northern New Zealand. This study used a biophysical model to simulate the dispersal process of mussel larvae and identified primary settlement areas and potential source populations. The results revealed limited larval exchange between two geographic regions in northern New Zealand, with most spat collected at Ninety Mile Beach originating from neighboring mussel beds, particularly those at Ahipara. These findings provide important information for monitoring and protecting the key source populations and ensuring the sustainability of the mussel aquaculture industry in New Zealand.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2023)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
G. R. Names, E. M. Schultz, T. P. Hahn, K. E. Hunt, F. Angelier, C. Ribout, K. C. Klasing
Summary: The study found that in Hawaii, low elevation Amakihi populations have higher avian malaria infection rates, but also possess stronger malaria resilience and better body condition, while high elevation populations exhibit weaker malaria selection and lower resilience.
ANIMAL CONSERVATION
(2022)
Article
Microbiology
Anastasia K. Pickford, Lucas Michel-Todo, Florian Dupuy, Alfredo Mayor, Pedro L. Alonso, Catherine Lavazec, Alfred Cortes
Summary: Clonally variant genes (CVGs) are crucial for Plasmodium falciparum to adapt to the human host's changing blood environment, with major differences in their expression patterns compared to in vitro-cultured parasites. During the transmission stages, previous expression patterns for many CVG families are lost and new patterns are established.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Pei-Yu Tsai, Chie-Jen Ko, Stephanie Yuan Chia, Ya-Jung Lu, Mao-Ning Tuanmu
Summary: Altitudinal migration in birds is common and important, but often understudied. A study in Taiwan found that 60 species (58%) of birds change their distributions along elevations seasonally, with factors like climate and food availability playing a major role in driving this behavior. The study highlights the potential of citizen science data in providing new insights into avian behaviors.
Article
Parasitology
Karla Rodriguez-Hernandez, Paulina Alvarez-Mendizabal, Leonardo Chapa-Vargas, Federico Escobar, Fernando Gonzalez-Garcia, Diego Santiago-Alarcon
Summary: This study investigated the prevalence and parasitaemia of vector-borne protozoa in birds in Central Veracruz, Mexico, finding significant influence of elevation and environmental factors on parasite prevalence. Parasite genus prevalence varied at different elevations, with similar distribution patterns to other geographical areas.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR PARASITOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Microbiology
Giulia Modi, Beatrice Borchi, Susanna Giache, Irene Campolmi, Michele Trotta, Mariarosaria Di Tommaso, Noemi Strambi, Alessandro Bartoloni, Lorenzo Zammarchi
Summary: A targeted testing strategy using a five-question questionnaire was effective in identifying pregnant women at risk for emerging infectious diseases, particularly high in pregnant women from Africa. The strategy could be used by health care professionals to identify and provide targeted testing and treatment for at-risk pregnant women.
Article
Infectious Diseases
Guillermo A. Garcia, Godwin Fuseini, Olivier Tresor Donfack, Rachel N. Wofford, Jose Antonio Mba Nlang, Prudencio Bibang Efiri, Valeriano Oluy Nsue Maye, Thomas A. Weppelmann, David Galick, Wonder Philip Phiri, Kylie DeBoer, Jordan M. Smith, Jeremias Nzamio Mba Eyono, Matilde Riloha Rivas, Carlos A. Guerra, Michael E. von Fricken
Summary: This study assessed the impact of construction projects on mosquito larval habitats and the effectiveness of larval source management in reducing malaria vector density. The findings suggest that larval source management is an effective intervention to suppress mosquito populations during infrastructure development. Incorporating larval source management into ongoing and planned construction initiatives represents an opportunity to fine tune vector control in response to anthropogenetic changes.
Article
Infectious Diseases
Siv Sovannaroth, Pengby Ngor, Vichka Khy, Julia C. Dunn, Michelle K. Burbach, Sovann Peng, Sarath Mak, Krung Siv, Giulia Manzoni, Jean Olivier Guintran, Luciano Tuseo, Rekol Huy
Summary: Malaria in Cambodia has decreased significantly by 90.8% between 2010 and 2020, thanks to the efforts of the National Center for Parasitology, Entomology and Malaria and the implementation of a village malaria worker programme. However, there was a sudden increase of 207% in confirmed malaria cases in the first seven months of 2018. To address this, the National Center for Parasitology, Entomology and Malaria developed the Intensification Plan and implemented it from October 2018 to December 2020. The plan resulted in a decline in malaria cases and provided lessons for other countries in accelerating their malaria control programmes.
Article
Ecology
Arne Hegemann, Cyndi Birberg, Dennis Hasselquist, Jan-ake Nilsson
Summary: The adaptation of immune function during bird migration varies among species and between early and late migrating individuals, potentially driven by trade-offs with timing and speed of migration. Investment in immune function depends on migratory strategy, with different patterns observed in long-distance migrants and short-distance migrants.
FRONTIERS IN ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2022)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
David Gudex-Cross, Rosemary K. Barraclough, Dianne H. Brunton, Jose G. B. Derraik
Article
Environmental Sciences
David Gudex-Cross, Jennifer Pontius, Alison Adams
REMOTE SENSING OF ENVIRONMENT
(2017)
Article
Ecology
Alison B. Adams, Jennifer Pontius, Gillian L. Galford, Scott C. Merrill, David Gudex-Cross
Article
Ecology
David T. Barnett, Paul A. Duffy, David S. Schimel, Rachel E. Krauss, Kathryn M. Irvine, Frank W. Davis, John E. Gross, Elena Azuaje, Andrea S. Thorpe, David Gudex-Cross, Michael Patterson, Jalynda M. McKay, Joel T. McCorkel, Courtney L. Meier
Article
Ecology
Alison B. Adams, Jennifer Pontius, Gillian Galford, David Gudex-Cross
Article
Environmental Sciences
David Gudex-Cross, Spencer R. Keyser, Benjamin Zuckerberg, Daniel Fink, Likai Zhu, Jonathan N. Pauli, Volker C. Radeloff
Summary: This study utilized MODIS data to establish winter habitat indices and investigate the impact of snow cover on ecosystem and bird species richness. The results revealed that factors such as snow season length, snow cover variability, and frozen ground without snow significantly influence bird habitat conditions and species diversity.
REMOTE SENSING OF ENVIRONMENT
(2021)
Article
Ecology
David Gudex-Cross, Likai Zhu, Spencer R. Keyser, Benjamin Zuckerberg, Jonathan N. Pauli, Volker C. Radeloff
Summary: The study demonstrates that the length of frozen ground winter is the strongest predictor of species richness, with a decline in species richness beyond 3 months of winter. Winter conditions explained much of the deviance in amphibian, mammal, and resident bird species richness in areas with ≥ 3 months of winter conditions. Migratory bird species richness peaks at around 5.5 months of winter, coinciding with low richness of resident birds.
GLOBAL ECOLOGY AND BIOGEOGRAPHY
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Laura S. Farwell, David Gudex-Cross, Ilianna E. Anise, Michael J. Bosch, Ashley M. Olah, Volker C. Radeloff, Elena Razenkova, Natalia Rogova, Eduarda M. O. Silveira, Matthew M. Smith, Anna M. Pidgeon
Summary: Satellite image texture is closely related to lidar-based canopy height variability and can explain bird richness patterns. In terms of correlating with lidar and field-based metrics, 10 m resolution texture is stronger than 30 m resolution texture.
REMOTE SENSING OF ENVIRONMENT
(2021)