Integrating coalescent species delimitation with analysis of host specificity reveals extensive cryptic diversity despite minimal mitochondrial divergence in the malaria parasite genus Leucocytozoon

BMC Evolutionary Biology
Spencer C GalenSusan L Perkins

Abstract

Coalescent methods that use multi-locus sequence data are powerful tools for identifying putatively reproductively isolated lineages, though this approach has rarely been used for the study of microbial groups that are likely to harbor many unrecognized species. Among microbial symbionts, integrating genetic species delimitation methods with trait data that could indicate reproductive isolation, such as host specificity data, has rarely been used despite its potential to inform species limits. Here we test the ability of an integrative approach combining genetic and host specificity data to delimit species within the avian malaria parasite genus Leucocytozoon in central Alaska. We sequenced seven nuclear loci for 69 Leucocytozoon samples and used multiple species delimitation methods (GMYC and BPP models), tested for differences in host infection patterns among putative species based on 406 individual infections, and characterized parasite morphology. We found that cryptic morphology has masked a highly diverse Leucocytozoon assemblage, with most species delimitation methods recovering support for at least 21 separate species that occur sympatrically and have divergent host infection patterns. Reproductive isolation among putat...Continue Reading

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Citations

Aug 14, 2019·The Journal of Animal Ecology·Spencer C GalenSusan L Perkins
Jan 11, 2020·Nature Reviews. Microbiology·Kannan VenugopalMatthias Marti
Jul 28, 2019·Ecology and Evolution·Meghann B HumphriesRobert E Ricklefs
Jan 16, 2019·Trends in Parasitology·Elin Videvall
Aug 11, 2021·Parasitology Research·Franciane CedrolaRoberto Júnio Pedroso Dias
Aug 19, 2021·Scientific Reports·Runglawan ChawengkirttikulPanat Anuracpreeda
Aug 18, 2021·Infection, Genetics and Evolution : Journal of Molecular Epidemiology and Evolutionary Genetics in Infectious Diseases·Germán A Gutierrez-LiberatoNubia E Matta

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Methods Mentioned

BETA
PCR

Software Mentioned

RAxML
Tracer
TreeAnnotator
PopART
BPP
UniFrac
Gblocks
R package splits
R
BLAST

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