Biological invasions present a unique context to investigate how parasites influence host establishment and spread. We compared whether the more invasive house sparrow (Passer domesticus, HOSP) showed lower haemosporidian (Plasmodium) infection probability, predicted relative parasitemia, and lineage diversity than the less invasive Eurasian tree sparrow (Passer montanus, ETSP), based on previous research that showed species differences in immune responses and pathogen prevalence that may influence invasion success. We sampled 306 sparrows across eight sites in Missouri and Illinois (2019-2022), assessing Plasmodium prevalence, relative parasitemia (via qPCR), and lineage diversity. Contrary to expectations, the more invasive HOSPs had higher Plasmodium prevalence (24.1 %, 32/133; 95 % CI = 17.6 %-32.0 %) compared to the less invasive ETSP (11.6 %, 20/173; 95 % CI = 7.6 %-17.2 %). Model-averaged estimates for both the full dataset and sensitivity analysis restricted to sites with balanced sampling identified host species as the strongest predictor of infection probability with higher odds of infection in HOSPs. Relative parasitemia was also higher in HOSPs, with model-averaged estimates indicating nearly two-fold higher odds of greater relative parasitemia compared to ETSPs. Pathogen lineage richness was similar between species, with three shared lineages and one unique lineage per host. One lineage (PHPAT01) had not previously been reported in ETSPs. Comparison with previous studies suggests a decline in Plasmodium prevalence among ETSP over the past two decades. No infections were detected at the northern range edge of ETSPs, where they may experience reduced parasite pressure. These results challenge the expectation of increased susceptibility in the less invasive host and instead show shifting host-parasite dynamics in introduced populations. Our findings highlight the importance of paired studies of more and less invasive species and the need to examine how pathogen susceptibility changes across different stages of the invasion process and range expansion.

Wildlife trafficking creates favorable scenarios for intra- and inter-specific interactions that can lead to parasite spread and disease emergence. Among the fauna affected by this activity, primates are relevant due to their potential to acquire and share zoonoses - infections caused by parasites that can spread between humans and other animals. Though it is known that most primate parasites can affect multiple hosts and that many are zoonotic, comparative studies across different contexts for animal-human interactions are scarce. We conducted a multi-parasite screening targeting the detection of zoonotic infections in wild-caught monkeys in nine Peruvian cities across three contexts: captivity (zoos and rescue centers, n = 187); pet (households, n = 69); and trade (trafficked or recently confiscated, n = 132). We detected 32 parasite taxa including mycobacteria, simian foamyvirus, bacteria, helminths, and protozoa. Monkeys in the trade context had the highest prevalence of hemoparasites (including Plasmodium malariae/brasilianum, Trypanosoma cruzi, and microfilaria) and enteric helminths and protozoa were less common in pet monkeys. However, parasite communities showed overall low variation between the three contexts. Parasite richness (PR) was best explained by host genus and the city where the animal was sampled. Squirrel (genus Saimiri) and wooly (genus Lagothrix) monkeys had the highest PR, which was ~2.2 times the PR found in tufted capuchins (genus Sapajus) and tamarins (genus Saguinus/Leontocebus) in a multivariable model adjusted for context, sex, and age. Our findings illustrate that the threats of wildlife trafficking to One Health encompass exposure to multiple zoonotic parasites well-known to cause disease in humans, monkeys, and other species. We demonstrate these threats continue beyond the markets where wildlife is initially sold; monkeys trafficked for the pet market remain a reservoir for and contribute to the translocation of zoonotic parasites to households and other captive facilities where contact with humans is frequent. Our results have practical applications for the healthcare of rescued monkeys and call for urgent action against wildlife trafficking and ownership of monkeys as pets.

Madagascar is acclaimed for its floral and faunal endemism and biodiversity. Among the island nation's most emblematic fauna are its native mammalian carnivores; they are members of the threatened and endemic Eupleridae family. The Corridor of Marojejy, Anjanaharibe-Sud Special Reserve, Tsaratanana (COMATSA) is a newly protected corridor system that faces deforestation and lacks detailed assessments of its native carnivore community. We deployed 44 motion-activated trail cameras to identify which terrestrial carnivores are found within the rainforest corridor landscape of COMATSA-Sud and Marojejy National Park, and to examine carnivore occupancy, relative activity and the impacts of habitat edge. Our sampling array operated from October 20, 2021, to February 10, 2022 (113 days) and confirmed the presence of four species in Eupleridae: Cryptoprocta ferox, Fossa fossana, Galidia elegans, and Galidictis fasciata, as well as a non-native carnivore species: Canis familiaris. We show that carnivore occurrences significantly increase with distance to forest edges. We discuss the negative impacts of forest loss on native carnivores and highlight the threats posed by the non-native carnivore C. familiaris. Our findings spotlight faunal detections across the corridor and indicate that fewer native carnivores are found in the corridor compared to nearby protected areas, suggesting that deforestation correlates with a skewed distribution of carnivore detections. Based on our data, we provide management recommendations for the protection of the forest corridor and its endemic faunal community. Madagascar is known for its unique biodiversity, including the threatened and endemic Eupleridae family of carnivores. Our study in the COMATSA corridor used 44 trail cameras to identify carnivore species, revealing significant findings about their presence. We found that native carnivore occurrences increase with distance from forest edges and that deforestation negatively impacts these species, prompting management recommendations for their protection.image

The relative importance of genetic drift and local adaptation in facilitating speciation remains unclear. This is particularly true for seabirds, which can disperse over large geographic distances, providing opportunities for intermittent gene flow among distant colonies that span the temperature and salinity gradients of the oceans. Here, we delve into the genomic basis of adaptation and speciation of banded penguins, Galápagos (Spheniscus mendiculus), Humboldt (Spheniscus humboldti), Magellanic (Spheniscus magellanicus), and African penguins (Spheniscus demersus), by analyzing 114 genomes from the main 16 breeding colonies. We aim to identify the molecular mechanism and genomic adaptive traits that have facilitated their diversifications. Through positive selection and gene family expansion analyses, we identified candidate genes that may be related to reproductive isolation processes mediated by ecological thermal niche divergence. We recover signals of positive selection on key loci associated with spermatogenesis, especially during the recent peripatric divergence of the Galápagos penguin from the Humboldt penguin. High temperatures in tropical habitats may have favored selection on loci associated with spermatogenesis to maintain sperm viability, leading to reproductive isolation among young species. Our results suggest that genome-wide selection on loci associated with molecular pathways that underpin thermoregulation, osmoregulation, hypoxia, and social behavior appears to have been crucial in local adaptation of banded penguins. Overall, these results contribute to our understanding of how the complexity of biotic, but especially abiotic, factors, along with the high dispersal capabilities of these marine species, may promote both neutral and adaptive lineage divergence even in the presence of gene flow.

Little is known about the causes and consequences of alternative pathways flown by long-distance migratory birds. Bobolinks (Dolichonyx oryzivorus) breed in grasslands across northern North America and migrate from their breeding grounds toward the eastern Atlantic Coast and then proceed through the Caribbean to South America. However, a small but regular number of Bobolinks have been recorded on the Galapagos Islands. We collected genetic samples from nine Galapagos Bobolinks and performed double-digest restriction site-associated sequencing. We compared them with samples from seven locations across their breeding distribution to determine their population of origin. Galapagos Bobolinks shared the genetic structure of a cluster in the eastern portion of the breeding range that includes New Brunswick and Ontario, Canada, and Vermont, United States. Genetic assignment tests largely corroborated this finding, although slightly different results were obtained for the two methods. All individuals were assigned to the Ontario breeding population using AssignPop, while Rubias assigned six of the migrants to Ontario and three to a Midwest breeding population. Low average relatedness among Galapagos individuals indicates that they are not more related to one another than to individuals within a breeding population and are therefore likely not from a single, small isolated population. Our results do not support the probability hypothesis-that Galapagos Bobolinks originated from the region that includes the greatest proportion of their breeding range (Great Plains)-or the vagrant hypothesis-that migrants are displaced onto Galapagos due to weather events. Instead, our findings support the proximity hypothesis, where migrants originate from the geographically closest-breeding populations.

Recent expansion of microbiome research has uncovered connections between resident microbial communities and blood parasite risk, establishing the potential for microbial disease treatments such as probiotics in the future. However, this field has largely focused on humans and model organisms, leaving much unknown about how microbial communities might directly or indirectly impact parasite infection in wild populations and non‐mammals. To contribute to this knowledge base in wild birds, we collected fecal and blood samples from wild Eurasian tree sparrows (Passer montanus) in the United States to test for associations between blood parasite infection and the gut microbiome. We used a widespread molecular approach to test 81 samples from peripheral blood for Plasmodium and Haemoproteus, and we characterized the gut microbiome using fecal samples as a proxy. Neither alpha nor beta diversity significantly varied with detected Plasmodium infection. However, differential abundance analysis highlighted a number of significantly varying bacteria, with the greatest representation within the phyla Proteobacteria and Firmicutes in Plasmodium‐infected birds. These differentially abundant taxa offer a starting point for experimental work establishing the relationship between microbial abundance and Plasmodium infection.

Microbial colonization plays a direct role in host health. Understanding the ecology of the resident microbial community for a given host species is thus an important step for detecting population vulnerabilities like disease. However, the idea of integrating microbiome research into conservation is still relatively new, and wild birds have received less attention in this field than mammals or domesticated animals. Here we examine the composition and function of the gut microbiome of the endangered Galapagos penguin (Spheniscus mendiculus) with the goals of characterizing the normal microbial community and resistome, identifying likely pathogens, and testing hypotheses of structuring forces for this community based on demographics, location, and infection status. We collected fecal samples from wild penguins in 2018 and performed 16S rRNA gene sequencing and whole genome sequencing (WGS) on extracted DNA. 16S sequencing revealed that the bacterial phyla Fusobacteria, Epsilonbacteraeota, Firmicutes, and Proteobacteria dominate the community. Functional pathways were computed from WGS data, showing genetic functional potential primarily focused on metabolism-amino acid metabolism, carbohydrate metabolism, and energy metabolism are the most well-represented functional groups. WGS samples were each screened for antimicrobial resistance, characterizing a resistome made up of nine antibiotic resistance genes. Samples were screened for potential enteric pathogens using virulence factors as indicators; Clostridium perfringens was revealed as a likely pathogen. Overall, three factors appear to be shaping the alpha and beta diversity of the microbial community: penguin developmental stage, sampling location, and C. perfringens. We found that juvenile penguins have significantly lower alpha diversity than adults based on three metrics, as well as significantly different beta diversity. Location effects are minimal, but one site has significantly lower Shannon diversity than the other primary sites. Finally, when samples were grouped by C. perfringens virulence factors, we found dramatic changes in beta diversity based on operational taxonomic units, protein families, and functional pathways. This study provides a baseline microbiome for an endangered species, implicates both penguin age and the presence of a potential bacterial pathogen as primary factors associated with microbial community variance, and reveals widespread antibiotic resistance genes across the population.

Amazonian countries have historically sourced the international wildlife trade. However, little is known about their domestic trade, which is often overlooked in estimates of trafficking. Peruvian law prohibits the unauthorized trade and possession of wildlife, but illegal sales are common in urban markets. To describe the dynamics, diversity, and composition of this illegal trade, we surveyed live wildlife for sale in urban markets in 16 Peruvian departments from 2007 to 2012. We identified the main hotspots of market trafficking, detected 193 species being sold alive, and estimate that 0.35–1.25 million animals were trafficked in this period. Iquitos, Lima, Pucallpa, and Tumbes were the most active and diverse trafficking nodes. Amazonian cities trafficked mostly local species, whereas in other cities the proportion of local species varied significantly (39–67%). Species dissimilarity across cities was high and correlated with their distance along trafficking routes. To assess if the market-based trade was representative of the national trade, we compared species richness in markets with that of country-wide confiscations. At least 430 species were confiscated in Peru between 2001 and 2019, but only 50% of species overlapped with markets in the same cities and period of our surveys. Our data suggest that urban markets are connected in a structured network that provides consumers with a diverse selection of species from across the country. Authorities should consider organizational aspects of trafficking networks to ensure success. Failure to eradicate wildlife trafficking in markets constitutes a serious threat to wildlife conservation and One Health in Peru and beyond.

BACKGROUND:Penguins (Sphenisciformes) are a remarkable order of flightless wing-propelled diving seabirds distributed widely across the southern hemisphere. They share a volant common ancestor with Procellariiformes close to the Cretaceous-Paleogene boundary (66 million years ago) and subsequently lost the ability to fly but enhanced their diving capabilities. With ∼20 species among 6 genera, penguins range from the tropical Galápagos Islands to the oceanic temperate forests of New Zealand, the rocky coastlines of the sub-Antarctic islands, and the sea ice around Antarctica. To inhabit such diverse and extreme environments, penguins evolved many physiological and morphological adaptations. However, they are also highly sensitive to climate change. Therefore, penguins provide an exciting target system for understanding the evolutionary processes of speciation, adaptation, and demography. Genomic data are an emerging resource for addressing questions about such processes. RESULTS:Here we present a novel dataset of 19 high-coverage genomes that, together with 2 previously published genomes, encompass all extant penguin species. We also present a well-supported phylogeny to clarify the relationships among penguins. In contrast to recent studies, our results demonstrate that the genus Aptenodytes is basal and sister to all other extant penguin genera, providing intriguing new insights into the adaptation of penguins to Antarctica. As such, our dataset provides a novel resource for understanding the evolutionary history of penguins as a clade, as well as the fine-scale relationships of individual penguin lineages. Against this background, we introduce a major consortium of international scientists dedicated to studying these genomes. Moreover, we highlight emerging issues regarding ensuring legal and respectful indigenous consultation, particularly for genomic data originating from New Zealand Taonga species. CONCLUSIONS:We believe that our dataset and project will be important for understanding evolution, increasing cultural heritage and guiding the conservation of this iconic southern hemisphere species assemblage.

Penguins are the only extant family of flightless diving birds. They currently comprise at least 18 species, distributed from polar to tropical environments in the Southern Hemisphere. The history of their diversification and adaptation to these diverse environments remains controversial. We used 22 new genomes from 18 penguin species to reconstruct the order, timing, and location of their diversification, to track changes in their thermal niches through time, and to test for associated adaptation across the genome. Our results indicate that the penguin crown-group originated during the Miocene in New Zealand and Australia, not in Antarctica as previously thought, and that Aptenodytes is the sister group to all other extant penguin species. We show that lineage diversification in penguins was largely driven by changing climatic conditions and by the opening of the Drake Passage and associated intensification of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC). Penguin species have introgressed throughout much of their evolutionary history, following the direction of the ACC, which might have promoted dispersal and admixture. Changes in thermal niches were accompanied by adaptations in genes that govern thermoregulation and oxygen metabolism. Estimates of ancestral effective population sizes (N-e) confirm that penguins are sensitive to climate shifts, as represented by three different demographic trajectories in deeper time, the most common (in 11 of 18 penguin species) being an increased N-e between 40 and 70 kya, followed by a precipitous decline during the Last Glacial Maximum. The latter effect is most likely a consequence of the overall decline in marine productivity following the last glaciation.

The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is a very powerful method to detect and identify pathogens. The high sensitivity of the method, however, comes with a cost; any of the millions of artificial DNA copies generated by PCR can serve as a template in a following experiment. If not identified as contaminations, these may result in erroneous conclusions on the occurrence of the pathogen, thereby inflating estimates of host range and geographic distribution. In the present paper, we evaluate whether several published records of avian haemosporidian parasites, in either unusual host species or geographical regions, might stem from PCR contaminations rather than novel biological findings. The detailed descriptions of these cases are shedding light upon the steps in the work process that might lead to PCR contaminations. By increasing the awareness of this problem, it will aid in developing procedures that keep these to a minimum. The examples in the present paper are from haemosporidians of birds, however the problem of contaminations and suggested actions should apply generally to all kinds of PCR‐based identifications, not just of parasites and pathogens.

Alien insect species may present a multifaceted threat to ecosystems into which they are introduced. In addition to the direct damage they may cause, they may also bring novel diseases and parasites and/or have the capacity to vector microorganisms that are already established in the ecosystem and are causing harm. Damage caused by ectoparasitic larvae of the invasive fly,Philornisdownsi(Dodge and Aitken) to nestlings of endemic birds in the Galapagos Islands is well documented, but nothing is known about whether this fly is itself associated with parasites or pathogens. In this study, diagnostic molecular methods indicated the presence of insect trypanosomatids inP.downsi; to our knowledge, this is the first record of insect trypanosomatids associated withPhilornisspecies. Phylogenetic estimates and evolutionary distances indicate these species are most closely related to theCrithidiaandBlastocrithidiagenera, which are not currently reported in the Galapagos Islands. The prevalence of trypanosomatids indicates eitherP.downsiarrived with its own parasites or that it is a highly suitable host for trypanosomatids already found in the Galapagos Islands, or both. We recommend further studies to determine the origin of the trypanosomatid infections to better evaluate threats to endemic fauna of the Galapagos Islands.

Blood meal host selection by mosquito vectors is an important component in understanding disease dynamics of pathogens that threaten endemic fauna in isolated islands such as Galápagos. Research on the feeding behavior of mosquitoes can provide clues to the hosts and vectors involved in disease transmission. This information is particularly critical for endemic wildlife fauna in island systems that have evolved without resistance to novel diseases such as avian malaria. The aims of this study were to determine the blood-feeding patterns of two species of mosquitoes found in Galápagos and discuss how their feeding behavior may influence the transmission of pathogens such as avian malaria. In the summer of 2015, we sampled two mosquito species (Aedes taeniorhynchus and Culex quinquefasciatus) across 18 different sites on Isla Santa Cruz, which is the second largest island in Galápagos and has the largest human population. We trapped mosquitoes using CDC light traps and CDC gravid traps and identified sources of blood meals for engorged mosquitoes by sequencing a portion of the vertebrate mitochondrial cytochrome b gene. Out of 947 female mosquitoes captured, 320 were blood-fed, and PCR amplifications were successful for 301 of the blood meals. Results revealed that both Aedes taeniorhynchus and Culex quinquefasciatus feed from a variety of vertebrate taxa, numerically dominated by humans on Isla Santa Cruz. The high proportion of mammalian blood meals could represent locally available and abundant hosts on Santa Cruz. However, host surveys and estimates of relative abundances of vertebrate species will need to accompany mosquito trapping studies on non-inhabited and inhabited islands in Galápagos to further validate this.

Noninvasive monitoring of gastrointestinal parasites from wild primates demonstrates that parasite-host relationships are altered during habitat or climatic disturbances. Interpreting changes in parasite measures for population health monitoring is problematic, since wild primates are infected with multiple parasites that fluctuate temporally and seasonally. Individual parasite infection data from two wild populations of New World primates, the saddleback ( Leontocebus weddelli ) and emperor ( Saguinus imperator ) tamarin, were collected over three years to: 1) establish baseline levels of parasite species richness (PSR) and variation across demography; 2) test for non-random associations of parasite co-occurrence; and 3) test hypothesized relationships between group size and PSR. Ten distinguishable parasite taxa were identified from 288 fecal samples by light microscopy following centrifugation and ethyl-acetate sedimentation. These samples represented 105 unique individuals (71 saddleback and 34 emperor tamarins), across 13 saddleback and seven emperor groups. Of the parasites identified in this study, none were confirmed as host specific, and only two parasites had statistically different prevalence between the host species. With few exceptions, individual infection status remained relatively unchanged over the study period. Considering yearly pair-wise parasite associations, we detected no marked differences between expected and observed levels of co-infection, nor did we detect statistically significant associations between group size and parasite species richness over 30 group-years. Logistic models of individual infection status did not identify a sex bias; however, age or species predicted the presence of four and three parasite taxa, respectively. Our model found higher PSR for saddleback tamarins. Considering the two most common parasites, one is typically pathogenic and the other is not, reinforcing caution when translating clinical findings of pathology to real-world systems. We now have reliable baseline data for future monitoring of these populations. Next steps should involve the molecular characterization of these parasites, and the exploration of linkages with health parameters.

The Galápagos penguin (Spheniscus mendiculus) is an endangered species endemic to the Galápagos Islands, Ecuador. In 2003 and 2004, 195 penguins from 13 colonies on the islands of Isabela and Fernandina in the Galápagos archipelago were examined. Genetic sexing of 157 penguins revealed 62 females and 95 males. Hematology consisted of packed cell volume (n5134), white blood cell differentials (n583), and hemoparasite blood smear evaluation (n5114). Microfilariae were detected in 22% (25/114) of the blood smears. Female penguins had significantly higher eosinophil counts than males. Serum chemistry on 83 penguins revealed no significant differences between males and females. Birds were seronegative to avian paramyxovirus type 1–3, avian influenza virus, infectious bursal disease virus, Marek’s disease virus (herpes), reovirus, avian encephalomyelitis virus, and avian adenovirus type 1 and 2 (n575), as well as to West Nile virus (n587), and Venezuelan, western and eastern equine encephalitis viruses (n526). Seventy-five of 84 (89%) penguins had antibodies to Chlamydophila psittaci but chlamydial DNA was not detected via polymerase chain reaction in samples from 30 birds.

The American Ornithological Society (AOS) is pleased to give the 2017 William Brewster Memorial Award, which recognizes an exceptional body of work on birds of the Western Hemisphere, to Dr. James D. Nichols. Jim is a senior scientist emeritus at the Patuxent Research Center in Maryland, where he spent a distinguished 40-year career with the Migratory Bird and Habitat Research Laboratory (associated with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and now the U.S. Geological Survey). His research has made major contributions to the development of quantitative analysis of wildlife populations, with special emphasis on birds, including the development and refinement of mark–recapture models, occupancy modeling, and other approaches to understanding the dynamics of animal populations. His analytical approaches to ornithology in particular and to animal conservation in general are embodied in the theme of adaptive management, a principle that he championed for waterfowl and that is now the backbone of wildlife management. Jim received his Ph.D. from Michigan State University in 1976. Since then, he has produced more than 400 publications and reports, including 294 peer-reviewed scientific publications and four books. These works have been cited more than 43,000 times. Through associations with 21 universities, Jim has also mentored more than 50 graduate students. Therefore, in recognition of his meritorious body of research over a long and distinguished career, we bestow the 2017 Brewster Award on Dr. James D. Nichols. The William Brewster Memorial Award is bestowed each year by the AOS on the author or coauthors of the most meritorious body of work on birds of the Western Hemisphere published during the ten calendar years preceding a given AOS Annual Meeting. The award consists of a medal and an honorarium provided through the endowed William Brewster Memorial Award Fund of the AOS. The award is in honor of William Brewster, one of the founding members of the AOU. To read about the award, go to http://www.americanornithology.org/content/ aos-brewster-award. To see a list of previous recipients, go to http://www.americanornithology.org/content/aosbrewster-award-recipients. James D. Nichols

Mitochondria play a key role in the balance of energy and heat production, and therefore the mitochondrial genome is under natural selection by environmental temperature and food availability, since starvation can generate more efficient coupling of energy production. However, selection over mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) genes has usually been evaluated at the population level. We sequenced by NGS 12 mitogenomes and with four published genomes, assessed genetic variation in ten penguin species distributed from the equator to Antarctica. Signatures of selection of 13 mitochondrial protein-coding genes were evaluated by comparing among species within and among genera (Spheniscus, Pygoscelis, Eudyptula, Eudyptes and Aptenodytes). The genetic data were correlated with environmental data obtained through remote sensing (sea surface temperature [SST], chlorophyll levels [Chl] and a combination of SST and Chl [COM]) through the distribution of these species.