Editorial Material
Parasitology
Josue Martinez-de la Puente, Diego Santiago-Alarcon, Vaidas Palinauskas, Staffan Bensch
TRENDS IN PARASITOLOGY
(2021)
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
Veterinary Sciences
Angel L. Robles-Fernandez, Diego Santiago-Alarcon, Andres Lira-Noriega
Summary: This study used machine learning protocols to predict the species-level susceptibility of wild mammals to dengue virus in the Americas. The results showed that bats are highly susceptible to DENV infections, with susceptibility depending on phylogenetic relationships among hosts and their environmental requirements. The modeling framework provides insights into potential DENV reservoirs for future surveillance efforts and emphasizes the importance of considering wild reservoirs in disease transmission dynamics.
FRONTIERS IN VETERINARY SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Agronomy
Carolina Zequeira-Larios, Diego Santiago-Alarcon, Ian MacGregor-Fors, Ofelia Castillo-Acosta
Summary: Cocoa cultivation is important globally, particularly in Mexico's Tabasco and Chiapas states with agroforestry systems since ancient times. Farmers preserve cocoa agroforestry systems for local plant diversity conservation, with differences in tree species richness at municipality level. Tabasco has higher tree density and abundance of cocoa trees compared to Chiapas, supporting a wide variety of products for self-consumption and local markets. The diverse floristic ecosystem aids in native plant conservation and could lead to increased agroforestry plantations associated with cocoa cultivation.
AGROFORESTRY SYSTEMS
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Alan Fecchio, Nicholas J. Clark, Jeffrey A. Bell, Heather R. Skeen, Holly L. Lutz, Gabriel M. De La Torre, Jefferson A. Vaughan, Vasyl V. Tkach, Fabio Schunck, Francisco C. Ferreira, Erika M. Braga, Camile Lugarini, Wanyoike Wamiti, Janice H. Dispoto, Spencer C. Galen, Karin Kirchgatter, M. Cecilia Sagario, Victor R. Cueto, Daniel Gonzalez-Acuna, Mizue Inumaru, Yukita Sato, Yvonne R. Schumm, Petra Quillfeldt, Irene Pellegrino, Guha Dharmarajan, Pooja Gupta, V. V. Robin, Arif Ciloglu, Alparslan Yildirim, Xi Huang, Leonardo Chapa-Vargas, Paulina Alvarez-Mendizabal, Diego Santiago-Alarcon, Serguei Drovetski, Olof Hellgren, Gary Voelker, Robert E. Ricklefs, Shannon J. Hackett, Michael D. Collins, Jason D. Weckstein, Konstans Wells
Summary: Macroecological analyses of global patterns of haemosporidian infections in avian hosts revealed marked variation in infection rates at different scales, with climate effects being more consistent across regions and host ecological traits playing a significant role. The study highlighted the importance of considering interactions between landscape, climate, and host characteristics for predicting changes in parasite infection risk under future scenarios.
GLOBAL ECOLOGY AND BIOGEOGRAPHY
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Paulina Alvarez-Mendizabal, Fabricio Villalobos, Karla Rodriguez-Hernandez, Carolina Hernandez-Lara, Oscar Rico-Chavez, Gerardo Suzan, Leonardo Chapa-Vargas, Diego Santiago-Alarcon
Summary: The study examined the metacommunity structure of avian haemosporidians in different elevations in Central Veracruz, Mexico, finding that environmental conditions play a more significant role than host-related traits in shaping the parasite assemblages. The research identified a nested pattern of parasite distribution across bird species, with varying levels of turnover observed across elevations, and highlighted the influence of climatic variables on parasite turnover at the habitat level. Environmental filtering was shown to be a key factor in structuring parasite communities at the landscape scale.
ACTA OECOLOGICA-INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ECOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Ornithology
Macario Fernandez-Popo, Fernando Gonzalez-Garcia, Diego Santiago-Alarcon
Summary: This study reports the first occurrence of Bronzed Cowbird brood parasitism on the Golden-crowned Warbler, a year round resident. The observations confirmed the host relationship based on the feeding behavior of the Golden-crowned Warbler pair towards the Bronzed Cowbird fledgling in a shade coffee plantation in Veracruz, Mexico.
WILSON JOURNAL OF ORNITHOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Parasitology
Larissa Ortega-Guzman, Octavio Rojas-Soto, Diego Santiago-Alarcon, Elisabeth Huber-Sannwald, Leonardo Chapa-Vargas
Summary: This study characterized the climatic niche and climate drivers of haemosporidian parasite prevalence in central-eastern Mexico. The study found a high statistical association between global prevalence and two bioclimatic variables, mean diurnal temperature range and annual temperature range. Climate change projections for 2070 showed significant modification of the current distribution of suitable climate areas for haemosporidians in the region.
Article
Ornithology
Estefania Meza-Montes, Ronald A. Fernandez-Gomez, Alexander Llanes-Quevedo, Adolfo G. Navarro-Siguenza, Diego Santiago-Alarcon, J. Roberto Sosa-Lopez
Summary: In this study, we explored the relationship between haemosporidian infection, parasite load, heterophil:lymphocyte ratio, body condition, and vocal behavior in Rufous-naped Wrens. Our results showed no evidence of an association between vocal behavior and infection status, heterophil:lymphocyte ratio, or body condition. However, we found that infection status was associated with a higher song rate and there was a strong positive correlation between infection status and parasite load in males and females belonging to the same reproductive pair.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
M. Andreina Pacheco, Francisco C. Ferreira, Corina J. Logan, Kelsey B. McCune, Maggie P. MacPherson, Sergio Albino Miranda, Diego Santiago-Alarcon, Ananias A. Escalante
Summary: This study investigated the infection of haemosporidian parasites in Great-tailed grackles in Arizona, a newly expanded geographic range for the species. The results showed a high prevalence of Plasmodium parasites in the grackles, indicating their competence as hosts for certain parasite species and the potential impact on local bird communities through parasite transmission.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Angel L. Robles-Fernandez, Diego Santiago-Alarcon, Andres Lira-Noriega
Summary: Machine learning analysis of the influence of geographic, environmental, and phylogenetic factors on multihost pathogen assemblages can provide reliable predictions of global spatial susceptibility, aiding in decision-making for surveillance and field efforts with limited resources.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2022)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Alejandro Sanchez-Barradas, Wesley Dattilo, Diego Santiago-Alarcon, W. Daniel Kissling, Fabricio Villalobos
Summary: Biotic interactions are important for ecosystems, but there is limited information available and biases towards certain groups. To fill these gaps, a combination of spatial, functional, and field data can be used to infer interactions. This approach allows for the generation of values similar to those observed in the field.
Review
Ornithology
Leticia Soares, Kristina L. Cockle, Ernesto Ruelas Inzunza, Jose Tomas Ibarra, Carolina Isabel Mino, Santiago Zuluaga, Elisa Bonaccorso, Juan Camilo Rios-Orjuela, Flavia A. Montano-Centellas, Juan F. Freile, Maria A. Echeverry-Galvis, Eugenia Bianca Bonaparte, Luisa Maria Diele-Viegas, Karina Speziale, Sergio A. Cabrera-Cruz, Orlando Acevedo-Charry, Enriqueta Velarde, Cecilia Cuatianquiz Lima, Valeria S. Ojeda, Carla S. Fontana, Alejandra Echeverri, Sergio A. Lambertucci, Regina H. Macedo, Alberto Esquivel, Steven C. Latta, Irene Ruvalcaba-Ortega, Maria Alice S. Alves, Diego Santiago-Alarcon, Alejandro Bodrati, Fernando Gonzalez-Garcia, Nestor Farina, Juan Esteban Martinez-Gomez, Ruben Ortega-Alvarez, Maria Gabriela Nunez Montellano, Camila C. Ribas, Carlos Bosque, Adrian S. Di Giacomo, Juan Areta, Carine Emer, Lourdes Mugica Valdes, Clementina Gonzalez, Maria Emilia Rebollo, Giselle Mangini, Carlos Lara, Jose Cristobal Pizarro, Victor R. Cueto, Pablo Rafael Bolanos-Sittler, Juan Francisco Ornelas, Martin Acosta, Marcos Cenizo, Miguel Angelo Marini, Leopoldo D. Vazquez-Reyes, Jose Antonio Gonzalez-Oreja, Leandro Bugoni, Martin Quiroga, Valentina Ferretti, Lilian T. Manica, Juan M. Grande, Flor Rodriguez-Gomez, Soledad Diaz, Nicole Buettner, Lucia Mentesana, Marconi Campos-Cerqueira, Fernando Gabriel Lopez, Andre C. Guaraldo, Ian MacGregor-Fors, Francisca Helena Aguiar-Silva, Cristina Y. Miyaki, Silvina Ippi, Emilse Merida, Cecilia Kopuchian, Cintia Cornelius, Paula L. Enriquez, Natalia Ocampo-Penuela, Katherine Renton, Jhan C. Salazar, Luis Sandoval, Jorge Correa Sandoval, Pedro X. Astudillo, Ancilleno O. Davis, Nicolas Cantero, David Ocampo, Oscar Humberto Marin Gomez, Sergio Henrique Borges, Sergio Cordoba-Cordoba, Alejandro G. Pietrek, Carlos B. de Araujo, Guillermo Fernandez, Horacio de la Cueva, Joao Marcos Guimaraes Capurucho, Nicole A. Gutierrez-Ramos, Ariane Ferreira, Lilian Mariana Costa, Cecilia Soldatini, Hannah M. Madden, Miguel Angel Santillan, Gustavo Jimenez-Uzcategui, Emilio A. Jordan, Guilherme Henrique Silva Freitas, Paulo C. Pulgarin-R, Roberto Carlos Almazan-Nunez, Tomas Altamirano, Milka R. Gomez, Myriam C. Velazquez, Rebeca Irala, Facundo A. Gandoy, Andrea C. Trigueros, Carlos A. Ferreyra, Yuri Vladimir Albores-Barajas, Markus Tellkamp, Carine Dantas Oliveira, Andrea Weiler, Ma del Coro Arizmendi, Adrianne G. Tossas, Rebecca Zarza, Gabriel Serra, Rafael Villegas-Patraca, Facundo Gabriel Di Sallo, Cleiton Valentim, Jorge Ignacio Noriega, Giraldo Alayon Garcia, Martin R. de la Pena, Rosendo M. Fraga, Pedro Vitor Ribeiro Martins
Summary: To advance Neotropical ornithology, it is crucial to address systemic exclusion, improve research practices, and provide better funding and professional development opportunities. Collaborative leadership, investment in basic field biology research, and the promotion of anti-colonial agendas are key to progress.
ORNITHOLOGICAL APPLICATIONS
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Karla Rodriguez-Hernandez, Paulina Alvarez-Mendizabal, Leonardo Chapa-Vargas, Federico Escobar, Wesley Dattilo, Diego Santiago-Alarcon
Summary: Host-parasite distribution and interactions are influenced by various factors including geography, evolutionary associations, species composition, and environmental variables. This study focused on the haemosporidian-avian host communities in tropical mountain systems to understand how network interactions affect parasite-host specialization. The findings revealed that vegetation type constrains the distribution of hosts and parasites, and intraspecies infection intensity plays a crucial role in the dynamics and interactions of the haemosporidian community.
Article
Ornithology
Cristel Alvarez-Castillo, Ian MacGregor-Fors, Stefan L. Arriaga-Weiss, Claudio Mota-Vargas, Diego Santiago-Alarcon
Summary: Psittacidae birds, including the White-fronted Parrot, have successfully adapted to urban environments due to their generalist feeding and opportunistic behavior. The abundance of White-fronted Parrots is higher in Xalapa than in Coatepec, and it remains consistent across years. Non-native plants make up a significant portion of their diet in Xalapa, with seeds being the most commonly consumed resource. The diet of White-fronted Parrots is specialized, mainly consisting of two plant species. The presence of exotic plant species in urban environments may have aided the establishment of parrot species.