@article{0900f4f91c9f404e8a272ce88c994022,
title = "Microbiomes associated with avian malaria survival differ between susceptible Hawaiian honeycreepers and sympatric malaria-resistant introduced birds",
abstract = "Of the estimated 55 Hawaiian honeycreepers (subfamily Carduelinae) only 17 species remain, nine of which the International Union for Conservation of Nature considers endangered. Among the most pressing threats to honeycreeper survival is avian malaria, caused by the introduced blood parasite Plasmodium relictum, which is increasing in distribution in Hawaiʻi as a result of climate change. Preventing further honeycreeper decline will require innovative conservation strategies that confront malaria from multiple angles. Research on mammals has revealed strong connections between gut microbiome composition and malaria susceptibility, illuminating a potential novel approach to malaria control through the manipulation of gut microbiota. One honeycreeper species, Hawaiʻi ʻamakihi (Chlorodrepanis virens), persists in areas of high malaria prevalence, indicating they have acquired some level of immunity. To investigate if avian host-specific microbes may be associated with malaria survival, we characterized cloacal microbiomes and malaria infection for 174 ʻamakihi and 172 malaria-resistant warbling white-eyes (Zosterops japonicus) from Hawaiʻi Island using 16S rRNA gene metabarcoding and quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Neither microbial alpha nor beta diversity covaried with infection, but 149 microbes showed positive associations with malaria survivors. Among these were Escherichia and Lactobacillus spp., which appear to mitigate malaria severity in mammalian hosts, revealing promising candidates for future probiotic research for augmenting malaria immunity in sensitive endangered species.",
keywords = "16S rRNA gene metabarcoding, conservation biology, Hawaiʻi ʻamakihi (Chlorodrepanis virens), microbiota, Plasmodium relictum, probiotics",
author = "Navine, {Amanda K.} and Paxton, {Kristina L.} and Paxton, {Eben H.} and Hart, {Patrick J.} and Foster, {Jeffrey T.} and Nancy McInerney and Fleischer, {Robert C.} and Elin Videvall",
note = "Funding Information: We are thankful to the 2019–2020 USGS Avian Malaria Genomic Research Project Banding Crew led by Elizabeth Abraham for sample collection, Carly Muletz Wolz and Michael Campana of the Smithsonian Center for Conservation Genomics, Jared Nishimoto of the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo Core Genetics Facility, and Katy Parise of the Pathogen and Microbiome Institute at Northern Arizona University for laboratory support, Robert Lee Justice III of the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo for creating a map of our sampling sites, and Carter Atkinson at U.S. Geological Survey Pacific Island Ecosystems Research Center for helpful feedback on the manuscript. In addition, we are grateful to four anonymous reviewers who provided feedback that allowed us to improve the clarity of the paper. For land and special use access we thank many private land owners, Hawaiʻi DLNR Division of Forestry and Wildlife's Forest Reserve System and Natural Area Reserve System, Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park Service, USDA Forest Service's Hawaiʻi Experimental Tropical Forest, and Hakalau Forest National Wildlife Refuge. This work was supported by a Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute Center for Conservation Genomics Scholarly Studies Grant awarded to R.C.F. and K.L.P.; a National Science Foundation Ecology and Evolution of Infectious Disease Grant (#1717498) awarded to E.H.P., J.T.F. and R.C.F.; an American Ornithological Society Mewaldt‐King Research Award to A.K.N.; and an American Ornithological Society Postdoctoral Research Award to E.V. E.V. was also partially funded by a Swedish Research Council international fellowship (#2020‐00259). Any use of trade, firm or product names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government. Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2022 John Wiley & Sons Ltd. This article has been contributed to by U.S. Government employees and their work is in the public domain in the USA.",
year = "2022",
doi = "10.1111/mec.16743",
language = "English (US)",
journal = "Molecular ecology",
issn = "0962-1083",
publisher = "Wiley-Blackwell",
}