Is avian malaria playing a role in native bird declines in New Zealand? Testing hypotheses along an elevational gradient

• Published in: PloS one Vol. 11; no. 11; p. e0165918
• Main Authors: Niebuhr, Chris N, Poulin, Robert, Tompkins, Dan
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Public Library of Science 01-11-2016; Public Library of Science (PLoS)
• Subjects: Altitude; Animals; Aquatic insects; Avian malaria; Biology and Life Sciences; Bird declines; Bird impact; Birds; Birds - parasitology; Culicidae; Freshwater; Indigenous species; Infection; Infections; Introduced Species; Malaria; Malaria, Avian - epidemiology; Medical research; Medicine and Health Sciences; Medicine, Experimental; Mosquitoes; National parks; National parks and reserves; New Zealand; Parasites; People and places; Plasmodium; Plasmodium - physiology; Population decline; Populations; Species Specificity; Studies; Turdus; Vector-borne diseases; New Zealand; PSE, New Zealand; PSE, New Zealand, South I., Nelson
• ISSN: 1932-6203; 1932-6203
• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0165918

Reports the findings of a survey conducted to identify patterns of avian malaria in wild birds in Nelson Lakes National Park, the overall aim of which was to test the potential for avian malaria to have played a role in population-level declines in native birds at the study site. Tests predictors of malaria prevalence in native bird populations and, specifically, the hypothesis that prevalence of infection is positively associated with a decrease in elevation, and higher in non-native than in native host species. Source: National Library of New Zealand Te Puna Matauranga o Aotearoa, licensed by the Department of Internal Affairs for re-use under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 New Zealand Licence.