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USING PARASITE LINEAGES TO TRACK THE MIGRATORY PATTERNS OF THE COMMON YELLOWTHROAT (GEOTHLYPIS TR1CHAS) By Katrina Pagenkopp Submitted to the Faculty of the College of Arts and Sciences of American University in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Science In Biology Chair: Dn^Robert Bteischer Dr. Kiho Kim Dean of the College Date ° 2006 American University Washington, D.C. 20016 : 1ER1CA1M UNIVERSITY LIBRARY 4 0 3 4 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. UMI Number: 1437159 Copyright 2006 by Pagenkopp, Katrina All rights reserved. INFORMATION TO USERS The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. Broken or indistinct print, colored or poor quality illustrations and photographs, print bleed-through, substandard margins, and improper alignment can adversely affect reproduction. In the unlikely event that the author did not send a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if unauthorized copyright material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. ® UMI UMI Microform 1437159 Copyright 2006 by ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights reserved. This microform edition is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code. ProQuest Information and Learning Company 300 North Zeeb Road P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, Ml 48106-1346 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. ©COPYRIGHT by Katrina Pagenkopp 2006 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. USING PARASITE LINEAGES TO TRACK THE MIGRATORY PATTERNS OF THE COMMON YELLOWTHROAT (GEOTHLYPIS TRICHAS) BY Katrina Pagenkopp ABSTRACT Our current understanding of the migratory patterns of migratory bird species is limited. The objective of this study was to determine whether haemosporidian parasite lineages could be used to detect geographic structure in common yellowthroatsGeothlypis ( trichas). We found a 52.7% overall prevalence. Of those infections identified to genus, 81% were Plasmodium, 5% were Haemoproteus, and were Leucocytozoon. We found a significant difference in the prevalence of different genera among the regions and in the proportionPlasmodium of infections versus other parasites among region. There were three unique Haemoproteus lineages, two unique Leucocytozoon lineages, and thirteen unique Plasmodium lineages. When we compared the lineage distribution of the sixPlasmodium lineages that were found in eight or more birds, they were significantly different among regions. In conclusion, parasite lineages show geographic structure in common yellowthroats, but are not useful as a marker of breeding range origin. ii Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS There are a great number of people who helped with this thesis through intellectual, logistical, and technical means, not to mention those who simply helped me stay focused during the past two years. First and foremost, I would like to thank my advisor, Dr. Robert Fleischer, for all his support and patience. He helped with the project in every possible way; from funding to sampling, to content and review of the final document. Dr. Fleischer has taken the time to discuss all the aspects of my work, and he has helped me learn to analyze and think carefully about the implications of the results. I would not be the scientist I am today without his insights, instruction, and generous professional guidance. I would like to thank my other two committee members, Dr. Catherine Schaeff and Dr. Kiho Kim. You have both been excellent mentors and contributed significantly to the intellectual thought in this thesis. This project would not have been possible without the 406 common yellowthroat samples contributed by Dr. John Klicka. Other sample contributions came from Brian Olsen, Julie Garvin, Dr. Irby Lovette, and Dr. Rebecca Holberton. The large sample size was critical to the success of this project and I greatly appreciate these contributions. I would like to thank the various organizations that allowed me to iii Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. sample common yellowthroats on their land: Aroostook National Wildlife Refuge, Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge, Paul Smith College of the Adirondacks, and the Pfeiffer Nature Center. While these institutions were generous in allowing sampling to be conducted on their land, nothing compared to the generous shown to us by Daryl and Leslie Boness, who not only allowed us to sample on their beautiful land but also fed us well. Dr. Fleischer told me when I first joined the lab that it would be a great place to work because of the people. Carl McIntosh, the lab manager for most of my time at the National Zoo, showed me around the lab, taught me multiple techniques, and was an integral part in making sure I was prepared for my summer fieldwork. Danielle Palmer showed me how the lab was run, introduced me to the various techniques I would have to do, and allowed me to be her “shadow” for the first few months that I was working here. Dr. Farah Ishtiaq showed me how to Qiaquick, sequence, and answered any question that I brought to her. Jon Beadell kept me constantly on my toes thinking about the various outcomes of my project in addition to helping with various lab techniques. Dr. Kate Durrant was my field assistant during the summer of 2005. She gave up two weeks of her summer to march through the marshes of Maine and New York looking for common yellowthroats. I could not have completed my project without the help and support I received from all these people. Lastly, I would like to thank my family, both on the east and west coast, who have given me constant support and love throughout my time in graduate school. Without their constant belief in me, I would not be where I am. iv Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT..............................................................................................................ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .....................................................................iii LIST OF TABLES...................................................................................................vi LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.................................................................................vii Chapter 1: LITERATURE REVIEW.............................................................................. 1 Current Methods....................................................................................... 6 Affect of Haemosporidian Parasites on Birds....................................... 10 Vector Biology................................. 14 Common YellowthroatGeothlypis ( trichas)........................................ 15 2: GEOGRAPHIC VARIATION IN MALARIAL PARASITE LINEAGES IN THE COMMON YELLOWTHROAT...........................18 Introduction............................................................................................18 Materials and Methods........................................................................ 21 Results....................................................................................................25 Discussion............................................................................................. 32 APPENDIX.............................................................................................................. 37 REFERENCES.........................................................................................................42 v Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. LIST OF TABLES Table 1. Parasite Prevalence by Region................................ 2. Genbank Matches .................................................... VI Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS Figure 1. The breeding range of the common yellowthroat based on the Bird Breeding Survey..........................................................................................................................16 2. Map of collection sites................... 27 3. Phylogenetic relationships between the three parasite genera by region 29 . 4. Percentage of each Plasmodium lineage found in each of the five regions of North America............... 30 vii Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. CHAPTER 1 LITERATURE REVIEW Our current understanding of the migratory patterns of many migratory bird species is very limited. Only broad ranges for migratory birds are usually known, meaning that we can determine the entire geographic region a given species uses as breeding and wintering grounds, but rarely do we know where individuals or populations within a species go to or the path they use to travel to these different areas. Webster et al. (2002) called this migratory connectivity, which they defined as “the extent to which individuals from the same breeding area migrate to the same non­ breeding area”. Currently, many populations of migratory birds are declining for multiple reasons, primarily habitat destruction and/or alteration. For example, Robbins et al.

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