Diversity, prevalence and host specificity of avian parasites in southern Tunisian oases

Abstract

AbstractOases are semi-natural woodlots surrounded by an inhospitable desert environment. This insular-like habitat system is known to support a mixture of sedentary and migratory bird species originating from different areas. However, little is known about the interactions between these birds and parasites. In this study, we investigated the diversity, prevalence and host specificity of avian haemosporidian parasites in southern Tunisian oases in two sedentary and common bird species, the laughing doveSpilopelia senegalensisand hybrid sparrowPasser domesticus × hispaniolensis, in six sites that differ regarding vegetation structure and distance to the coast. Two newHaemoproteuslineages, related to otherHaemoproteustransmitted by biting midges, were detected in doves. With regard to sparrows, all detected parasites have previously been reported in other sparrow populations, except for one newHaemoproteuslineage. Our results also showed that densely vegetated sites were characterized by the higher prevalence ofPlasmodiumbut a lower prevalence ofHaemoproteuscompared with less-vegetated sites. This is the first study aiming to explore avian parasites in the oasis habitat. Gathering data on a larger sample of oases with different sizes and isolation levels will be the next step to better understand factors shaping the transmission dynamics of avian parasites in such ecosystems.