Meeting Abstract
The introduction of avian malaria parasites (Haemosporidia) has been shown to cause declines of naïve bird populations and to put previously stable populations at risk of extinction. As global temperatures rise and precipitation patterns become more variable, the ranges of avian malaria parasites and their mosquito vectors are predicted to increase in latitude and altitude. Thus, bird populations living at high altitudes in the tropics may be vulnerable to higher prevalence and diversity of infections than ever before. Although studies have assessed the effects of climate change on haemosporidian distribution over limited timescales, no study has examined patterns of avian malaria prevalence and diversity in a tropical system for >10 years. Here, we evaluate whether prevalence and diversity of avian malaria parasites have changed from 2001 to 2013 in a population of superb starlings (Lamprotornis superbus) living in the highlands of central Kenya. We used PCR to estimate Haemosporidia prevalence, and sequenced a portion of the cytochrome b gene to identify avian malaria haplotypes using a threshold of 1% sequence divergence. Our results showed high levels of infection in most years, and a diversity of Haemosporidia species in all years. Based on these findings, we suggest that the effects of global- or continental-scale climate change on avian malaria may be difficult to discern. Additional information about local effects of climate change on mosquito vectors is needed to determine climate-mediated risks of avian malaria spread in the tropics.
