SREL Reprint #3859

Use of contaminated habitat and associated selenium uptake mediate haemosporidian parasite infections in wild passerine birds

Courtney S. Werner1,2, Mary Chapman2, Daniel A. H. Peach2,3, Travis L. DeVault2,4, and Olin E. Rhodes Jr.2,5

1Department of Fish and Wildlife Conservation, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University,
Blacksburg, Virginia, USA
2Savannah River Ecology Laboratory, University of Georgia, Aiken, South Carolina, USA
3Department of Infectious Diseases, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, USA
4Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, USA
5Odum School of Ecology, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, USA

Abstract: Environmental contamination alters ecological interactions among organisms, including those associated with parasitism. Contaminants can mediate parasitic relationships at multiple scales by changing host vulnerability to infection and disrupting transmission-relevant contacts. The overall effect of contamination on parasitism remains poorly understood, yet the interplay between these stressors has significant implications for animal and human health. We conducted a community-scale field study to evaluate whether trace element contaminants derived from coal combustion residuals and nuclear fission products alter the dynamics of haemosporidian blood parasites, dipteran vectors, and avian hosts in riparian and wetland habitats in South Carolina, USA. We captured 329 individuals of 31 passerine bird species and 195 Culex mosquito vectors at two sites affected by coal combustion waste, two sites affected by nuclear fission waste, and two reference sites. We evaluated whether blood concentrations of zinc, copper, mercury, and selenium and whole-body radioactivity concentrations because of cesium-137 predicted the likelihood of single and coinfections by Plasmodium, Haemoproteus, and Leucocytozoon within passerine hosts. We also evaluated whether the likelihood of Plasmodium infection in Culex vectors differed with the presence of site-level contamination. Individual passerine hosts inhabiting coal combustion waste sites had significantly higher blood selenium concentrations than those at reference sites, and blood selenium was negatively associated with the likelihood of Leucocytozoon infection. The likelihood of infection with Plasmodium did not vary between vectors at contaminated versus reference sites. The transfer of low-dose, waste-derived selenium to wildlife may bolster individual response to some parasites and increase the reservoir capacity of host populations. Our findings highlight complex effects of trace elements on wildlife disease dynamics and reveal priorities for future research in contaminated habitat.

Keywords: avian; coal combustion; disease; heavy metal; malaria; metalloid; radionuclide

SREL Reprint #3859

Werner, C. S., M. Chapman, D. A. H. Peach, T. L. DeVault, and O. E. Rhodes Jr. 2026. Use of contaminated habitat and associated selenium uptake mediate haemosporidian parasite infections in wild passerine birds. Ecology and Evolution 16(e72681). 

This information was provided by the University of Georgia's Savannah River Ecology Laboratory (srel.uga.edu).