Data from: Testing local adaptation in a natural great tit-malaria system: an experimental approach

Finding out whether Plasmodium spp. are coevolving with their vertebrate
hosts is of both theoretical and applied interest and can influence our
understanding of the effects and dynamics of malaria infection. In this
study, we tested for local adaptation as a signature of coevolution
between malaria blood parasites, Plasmodium spp. and its host, the great
tit, Parus major. We conducted a reciprocal transplant experiment of birds
in the field, where we exposed birds from two populations to Plasmodium
parasites. This experimental set-up also provided a unique opportunity to
study the natural history of malaria infection in the wild and to assess
the effects of primary malaria infection on juvenile birds. We present
three main findings: i) there was no support for local adaptation; ii)
there was a male-biased infection rate; iii) infection occurred towards
the end of the summer and differed between sites. There were also
site-specific effects of malaria infection on the hosts. Taken together,
we present one of the few experimental studies of parasite-host local
adaptation in a natural malaria system, and our results shed light on the
effects of avian malaria infection in the wild.