Bonaccorso, Elisa

Preferred name
Bonaccorso, Elisa
Main Affiliation
Quito

Settings

Now showing 1 - 2 of 2
  • Loading...
    Thumbnail Image
    Some of the metrics are blocked by your 
    consent settings
    Item type:Publication,
    Associations among MHC genes, latitude, and avian malaria infections in the rufous‐collared sparrow (<i>Zonotrichia capensis</i>)
    (2024)
    Juan Rivero de Aguilar
    ;
    Omar Barroso
    ;
    Bonaccorso, Elisa  
    ;
    Hector Cadena
    ;
    Lucas Hussing
    The major histocompatibility complex (MHC) is a genetic region in jawed vertebrates that contains key genes involved in the immune response. Associations between the MHC and avian malaria infections in wild birds have been observed and mainly explored in the Northern Hemisphere, while a general lack of information remains in the Southern Hemisphere. Here, we investigated the associations between the MHC genes and infections with Plasmodium and Haemoproteus blood parasites along a latitudinal gradient in South America. We sampled 93 rufous-collared sparrows (Zonotrichia capensis) individuals from four countries, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Chile, and estimated MHC-I and MHC-II allele diversity. We detected between 1–4 (MHC-I) and 1–6 (MHC-II) amino acidic alleles per individual, with signs of positive selection. We obtained generalized additive mixed models to explore the associations between MHC-I and MHC-II diversity and latitude. We also explored the relationship between infection status and latitude/biome. We found a non-linear association between the MHC-II amino acidic allele diversity and latitude. Individuals from north Chile presented a lower MHC genetic diversity than those from other locations. We also found an association between deserts and xeric shrublands and a lower prevalence of Haemoproteus parasites. Our results support a lower MHC genetic in arid or semi-arid habitats in the region with the lower prevalence of Haemoproteus parasites.
      16
  • Loading...
    Thumbnail Image
    Some of the metrics are blocked by your 
    consent settings
    Item type:Publication,
    Biotic homogenization and differentiation effects of fragmentation vary with spatial scale for multiple levels of understory bird diversity in northwest Ecuador
    (2026)
    Mike Ellis
    ;
    Luis Carrasco
    ;
    Fernando Castillo
    ;
    Juan Rivero de Aguilar
    ;
    Euan Ferguson
    Context: Biotic homogenization and differentiation are two possible outcomes of tropical forest fragmentation with ramifications for biodiversity conservation. The extent of either outcome may vary depending on spatial scale and heterogeneity of climate and habitats, but these relationships remain poorly understood for taxonomic, functional, and phylogenetic metrics of diversity. Objectives: Our goal was to determine the extent to which fragmentation is associated with biotic homogenization and/or differentiation across multiple levels of diversity at landscape versus regional scales. Methods: We examined diversity and similarity of understory bird communities in northwestern Ecuador, an ecoregion characterized by climatic variation, habitat loss and fragmentation, and high levels of biodiversity and endemism. Results: At the landscape level, fragmentation was associated with biotic differentiation of understory bird communities between formerly contiguous intact and fragmented humid forests. At the regional scale, we found taxonomic homogenization across climate zones and forest types: the bird community in the fragmented humid landscape was as similar to the nearby intact humid forest community (mean distance = 3.1 km) as it was to that of drier, seasonal intact forest 60 km away. Patterns of landscape-level differentiation and regional homogenization were present but substantially less pronounced for functional and phylogenetic diversity, indicating functional and phylogenetic redundancy despite turnover and abundance shifts among dominant species. Conclusions: Our results suggest fragmentation of tropical forest (associated with homogenization between humid and drier/seasonal forest) may have similar impacts on communities as climate drying, and while many species may be lost, fragmented communities may retain some functional and evolutionary resilience against environmental stressors. © The Author(s) 2026.
      4