Establishment of exotic parasites: the origins and characteristics of an avian malaria community in an isolated island avifauna
Författare
Summary, in English
Knowledge of the processes favouring the establishment of exotic parasites is poor. Herein, we test the characteristics of successful exotic parasites that have co-established in the remote island archipelago of New Zealand, due to the introduction of numerous avian host species. Our results show that avian malaria parasites (AM; parasites of the genus Plasmodium) that successfully invaded are more globally generalist (both geographically widespread and with a broad taxonomic range of hosts) than AM parasites not co-introduced to New Zealand. Furthermore, the successful AM parasites are presently more prevalent in their native range than AM parasites found in the same native range but not co-introduced to New Zealand. This has resulted in an increased number and greater taxonomic diversity of AM parasites now in New Zealand.
Avdelning/ar
Publiceringsår
2012
Språk
Engelska
Sidor
1112-1119
Publikation/Tidskrift/Serie
Ecology Letters
Volym
15
Issue
10
Länkar
Dokumenttyp
Artikel i tidskrift
Förlag
Wiley-Blackwell
Ämne
- Biological Sciences
Nyckelord
- Avian malaria
- introduced birds
- introduction success
- invasive
- parasites
- New Zealand
Status
Published
Projekt
- Malaria in birds
Forskningsgrupp
- Molecular Ecology and Evolution Lab
ISBN/ISSN/Övrigt
- ISSN: 1461-023X