Population dynamics of an invasive bird parasite, Philornis downsi (Diptera: Muscidae), in the Galapagos Islands. [PDF]
PLoS ONE, 2019 The invasive parasitic fly, Philornis downsi (Muscidae), is one of the greatest threats to the avifauna of the Galapagos Islands. The larvae of this fly feed on the blood and tissues of developing nestlings of at least 18 endemic and native birds.
Charlotte E Causton +7 more
doaj +6 more sources
Parental care in the Small Tree Finch Camarhynchus parvulus in relation to parasitism and environmental factors. [PDF]
Ibis (Lond 1859), 2021 The parental food compensation hypothesis suggests that parents may compensate for the negative effects of parasites on chicks by increased food provisioning. However, this ability differs widely among host species and may also depend on ecological factors such as adverse weather conditions and habitat quality.
Heyer E, Cimadom A, Wappl C, Tebbich S.
europepmc +2 more sources
Ecoimmunity in Darwin's finches: invasive parasites trigger acquired immunity in the medium ground finch (Geospiza fortis). [PDF]
PLoS ONE, 2010 BACKGROUND: Invasive parasites are a major threat to island populations of animals. Darwin's finches of the Galápagos Islands are under attack by introduced pox virus (Poxvirus avium) and nest flies (Philornis downsi).
Sarah K Huber +6 more
doaj +4 more sources
Economic costs of biological invasions in Ecuador: the importance of the Galapagos Islands [PDF]
NeoBiota, 2021 Biological invasions, as a result of human intervention through trade and mobility, are the second biggest cause of biodiversity loss. The impacts of invasive alien species (IAS) on the environment are well known, however, economic impacts are poorly ...
Liliana Ballesteros-Mejia +5 more
doaj +9 more sources
Relationships among introduced parasites, host defenses, and gut microbiota of Galapagos birds
Ecosphere, 2018 Parasites can cause significant damage to their hosts. Hosts can reduce the damage that parasites cause by either resisting parasites (e.g., with an immune response) or tolerating parasites (e.g., with energy compensation). Recent work suggests that host‐
Sarah A. Knutie
doaj +2 more sources
Genetic admixture predicts parasite intensity: evidence for increased hybrid performance in Darwin's tree finches [PDF]
Royal Society Open Science, 2019 Hybridization can increase adaptive potential when enhanced genetic diversity or novel genetic combinations confer a fitness advantage, such as in the evolution of anti-parasitic mechanisms. Island systems are especially susceptible to invasive parasites
Katharina J. Peters +3 more
doaj +2 more sources
Under adverse conditions, older small tree finch males (Camarhynchus parvulus) produce more offspring than younger males. [PDF]
Ethology, 2020 In many bird species, females paired with older males have a higher breeding success. Small tree finches are heavily affected by an invasive nest parasite. Nests of older males had more fledglings than those of younger males. However, the difference in breeding success disappeared when parasites were experimentally reduced with the insecticide ...
Wappl C +4 more
europepmc +2 more sources
Innovations in invasive parasite control: enhancing nest treatment techniques to combat the threat of the avian vampire fly Philornis downsi in Galapagos [PDF]
Frontiers in Conservation ScienceThe invasive parasitic nest fly Philornis downsi poses a severe threat to the conservation of Galapagos’ endemic landbirds, including Darwin’s finches.
Barbara Kofler +6 more
doaj +2 more sources
Philornis downsi (Diptera: Muscidae), an avian nest parasite invasive to the Galápagos Islands, in Mainland Ecuador [PDF]
Annals of the Entomological Society of America, 2015 Philornis downsi (Dodge and Aitken) is a bird-parasitic muscid fly native to mainland South America that recently invaded the Galápagos Islands where it is parasitizing Darwin's finches and other land birds.
Brito Vera, Gabriel A. +8 more
core +3 more sources
Urban living influences the nesting success of Darwin's finches in the Galápagos Islands. [PDF]
Ecol Evol, 2021 Urbanization is expanding worldwide with major consequences for organisms, understanding the trade‐offs of urbanization is of critical importance, particularly in environments with unreliable annual natural food availability, such as the Galápagos Islands.
Harvey JA +5 more
europepmc +2 more sources