BACKGROUND: Previous studies on the tick infestation of birds in the Carpathian Basin focused on songbirds (Passeriformes). Thus, the primary aim of the present work was to extend the scope of previous studies, i.e. to include aquatic (water-associated) bird species in a similar context, especially considering that these birds are usually long-distance migrants. METHODS: Between March 2021 and August 2023, 11,919 birds representing 126 species were checked for the presence of ticks. From 352 birds belonging to 40 species, 905 ixodid ticks were collected. Tick species were identified morphologically and/or molecularly. RESULTS: Ticks from avian hosts belonged to seven species: Ixodes ricinus (n = 448), I. frontalis (n = 31), I. festai (n = 2), I. arboricola (n = 36), I. lividus (n = 4), Haemaphysalis concinna (n = 382) and Dermacentor reticulatus (n = 2). Nymphs of I. ricinus occurred with a single activity peak around March-May, whereas its larvae typically infested birds in May, June or July. By contrast, H. concinna usually had its activity maximum during the summer (nymphs in June-July, larvae later in July-August). Interestingly, two ornithophilic species, I. frontalis and I. arboricola, were most active around winter months (between October and April). A significantly lower ratio of aquatic birds was found tick-infested than songbirds. Several new tick-host associations were revealed, including I. ricinus from Greylag Goose (Anser anser) and D. reticulatus from Great Egret (Ardea alba) and Sedge Warbler (Acrocephalus schoenobaenus). Ticks were collected for the first time in Europe from two species of predatory birds as well as from Little Bittern (Ixobrychus minutus). Bird species typically inhabiting reedbeds were most frequently infested with H. concinna, and most ticks localized at their throat, as opposed to forest-dwelling avian hosts, on which I. ricinus predominated and ticks were more evenly distributed. CONCLUSIONS: In the evaluated region, aquatic birds appear to be less important in tick dispersal than songbirds. However, newly revealed tick-host associations in this category attest to their hitherto neglected contribution. The results suggest that the habitat type will have significant impact not only on the species composition but also on the feeding location of ticks on birds.
- Klíčová slova
- Accipitriformes, Ixodidae, Passeriformes, Pelecaniformes,
- MeSH
- ekosystém MeSH
- husy MeSH
- infestace klíšťaty * epidemiologie veterinární MeSH
- Ixodidae * MeSH
- klíště * MeSH
- larva MeSH
- nymfa MeSH
- Passeriformes * MeSH
- zpěvní ptáci * MeSH
- zvířata MeSH
- Check Tag
- zvířata MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
Ice-binding proteins (IBPs) of the DUF3494 type have been found in many ice-associated unicellular photoautotrophs, including chlorophytes, haptophytes, diatoms and a cyanobacterium. Unrelated IBPs have been found in many land plants (streptophytes). Here we looked for IBPs in two streptophyte algae that grow only on glaciers, a group in which IBPs have not previously been examined. The two species, Ancylonema nordenskioeldii and Ancylonema. alaskanum, belong to the class Zygnematophyceae, whose members are the closest relatives to all land plants. We found that one of them, A. nordenskioeldii, expresses a DUF3494-type IBP that is similar to those of their chlorophyte ancestors and that has not previously been found in any streptophytes. The protein is unusual in having what appears to be a perfect array of TXT motifs that have been implicated in water or ice binding. The IBP strongly binds to ice and almost certainly has a role in mitigating the daily freeze-thaw cycles that the alga is exposed to during late summer. No IBP was found in the second species, A. alaskanum, which may rely more on glycerol production for its freeze-thaw tolerance. The IBP is also unusual in having a 280-residue domain with a β sandwich structure (which we designate as the DPH domain) that is characteristic of root cap proteins of land plants, and that may have a role in forming IBP oligomers. We also examined existing transcriptome data obtained from land plants to better understand the tissue and temperature dependence of expression of this domain.
- Klíčová slova
- Ancylonema alaskanum, Ancylonema nordenskioeldii, DUF3494, Morteratsch Glacier, PF06830, ice-binding protein, land plant terrestrialization, streptophytes,
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
