Micro- and macroparasite species richness in birds: the role of host life history and ecology

1.Identifying the factors shaping variation in parasite diversity among host species is crucial to understand wildlife diseases. Although micro‐ and macroparasites may exert different selective pressures on their hosts, studies investigating the determinants of parasite species richness in animals have rarely considered this divide.

2.Here, we investigated the role of host life history and ecology in explaining the species richness of helminths (macroparasites) and haemosporidians (microparasites) in birds worldwide. We collated data from multiple global datasets on diverse bird traits (longevity, body mass, coloniality, migration distance/tendency, geographic range size and dietary and habitat breadths) and the species richness of their helminth and haemosporidian parasites. We tested predictors of helminth and haemosporidian parasite richness using phylogenetic generalised linear mixed models in a Bayesian framework.

3.We found that, after controlling for research effort and hos...