This page has only limited features, please log in for full access.

Unclaimed
Nayden Chakarov
Department of Animal Behaviour, Bielefeld University, Bielefeld, Germany

Basic Info

Basic Info is private.

Honors and Awards

The user has no records in this section


Career Timeline

The user has no records in this section.


Short Biography

The user biography is not available.
Following
Followers
Co Authors
The list of users this user is following is empty.
Following: 0 users

Feed

Journal article
Published: 03 June 2021 in Parasites & Vectors
Reads 0
Downloads 0

Background The feeding behavior of bloodsucking insects determines the transmission, distribution, host spectrum and evolution of blood parasites in the wild. Conventional wisdom suggests that some vector groups (e.g. black flies, family Simuliidae) are consistently exophagous daytime biters. We aimed to understand more about the exceptions to this pattern by combining targeted trapping and molecular identification of parasites in vectors. Methods In this study, we collected black flies in nest boxes used by European rollers Coracias garrulus in southeastern Spain. We molecularly analyzed 434 individual insects, identifying the black fly species caught in the nest boxes, their potential vertebrate blood meals, and the haemosporidian parasite lineages that they carried. Results Only one black fly species, Simulium rubzovianum, appeared to enter the nest boxes of rollers. Among the trapped specimens, 15% contained vertebrate DNA, which always belonged to rollers, even though only half of those specimens were visibly engorged. Furthermore, 15% of all black flies contained Leucocytozoon lineages, indicating previous feeding on avian hosts but probably not on infected adult rollers. The known vertebrate hosts of the recorded Leucocytozoon lineages suggested that large and/or abundant birds are their hosts. Particularly represented were cavity-nesting species breeding in the vicinity, such as pigeons, corvids and owls. Open-nesting species such as thrushes and birds of prey were also represented. Conclusions Our data strongly suggest that S. rubzovianum bites uninfected roller nestlings and infected individuals of other species, potentially incubating adults, inside nest boxes and natural cavities. This simuliid does not appear to have a strong preference for specific host clades. Contrary to the general pattern for the group, and possibly enhanced by the harsh environmental conditions in the study area, this black fly appeared to intensively use and may even have a preference for confined spaces such as cavities for feeding and resting. Preferences of vectors for atypical microhabitat niches where hosts are less mobile may enable social and within-family transmission and parasite speciation in the long term. At the same time, a lack of host preference in concentrated multispecies communities can lead to host switches. Both processes may be underappreciated driving forces in the evolution of avian blood parasites. Graphical abstract

ACS Style

Nayden Chakarov; Jesús Veiga; Ignacio Ruiz-Arrondo; Francisco Valera. Atypical behavior of a black fly species connects cavity-nesting birds with generalist blood parasites in an arid area of Spain. Parasites & Vectors 2021, 14, 1 -9.

AMA Style

Nayden Chakarov, Jesús Veiga, Ignacio Ruiz-Arrondo, Francisco Valera. Atypical behavior of a black fly species connects cavity-nesting birds with generalist blood parasites in an arid area of Spain. Parasites & Vectors. 2021; 14 (1):1-9.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Nayden Chakarov; Jesús Veiga; Ignacio Ruiz-Arrondo; Francisco Valera. 2021. "Atypical behavior of a black fly species connects cavity-nesting birds with generalist blood parasites in an arid area of Spain." Parasites & Vectors 14, no. 1: 1-9.

Preprint content
Published: 20 May 2021
Reads 0
Downloads 0

Individuals differ. This seemingly trivial statement has nevertheless led to paradigm shifts, as three different fields of organismal biology have seen a marked change in key concepts over the past few decades. In animal behaviour, it has increasingly been realised that behavioural differences among individuals can be stable over time and across contexts, giving rise to the concept of animal personalities. In ecology, an increasing focus is likewise on the considerable variation in the ecological niche realised by species, populations, and individuals, giving rise to the concept of niche specialisation or individual niche variation. In evolutionary biology, where individual variation has always been central, there is an increasing awareness of the complexity with which individuals interact with the environment in producing unique phenotypes. Recent theoretical and empirical work has highlighted that the fitness landscape is rather complex, with multiple fitness peaks. It depends on the individual with its genotype, in interaction with its specific environment, which local or global fitness peak is attainable. Over the past 15 years, the need for more integrated conceptual frameworks transcending disciplines has been voiced ever more strongly. Whereas initially the ecological time scale was deemed to be fundamentally different from the evolutionary one, this notion has recently been replaced by a more integrative one, where evolution can indeed happen over ecological time scales. While in each of the three fields behaviour, ecology, and evolution, the concept of individualisation has contributed to major scientific progress, sufficient cross-fertilisation is lacking. Here, we propose a new level of conceptual unification: the individualised niche. By merging the niche concept with the fitness and animal personality concepts, new explanatory power for both ecological and evolutionary processes emerges.

ACS Style

Oliver Krüger; Barbara Caspers; Nayden Chakarov; Alkistis Elliott-Graves; Marie Jolanda Kaiser; Peter Korsten; Joachim Kurtz; Caroline Müller; Holger Schielzeth; Tamas Szekely. Individualised niches: an integrative conceptual framework across behaviour, ecology, and evolution. 2021, 1 .

AMA Style

Oliver Krüger, Barbara Caspers, Nayden Chakarov, Alkistis Elliott-Graves, Marie Jolanda Kaiser, Peter Korsten, Joachim Kurtz, Caroline Müller, Holger Schielzeth, Tamas Szekely. Individualised niches: an integrative conceptual framework across behaviour, ecology, and evolution. . 2021; ():1.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Oliver Krüger; Barbara Caspers; Nayden Chakarov; Alkistis Elliott-Graves; Marie Jolanda Kaiser; Peter Korsten; Joachim Kurtz; Caroline Müller; Holger Schielzeth; Tamas Szekely. 2021. "Individualised niches: an integrative conceptual framework across behaviour, ecology, and evolution." , no. : 1.

Journal article
Published: 02 March 2021 in International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
Reads 0
Downloads 0

Avian haemosporidians are a common and widespread group of vector-borne parasites capable of infecting most bird species around the world. They can negatively affect host condition and fitness. Vultures are assumed to have a very low prevalence of these blood parasites, likely due to their strong immunity; however, factors contributing to variation in host exposure and susceptibility to haemosporidians are complex, and supporting evidence is still very limited. We analyzed blood samples collected from nestlings of three vulture species in Spain over 18 years, and used updated nested-PCR protocols capable of detecting all haesmosporidian cytochrome b lineages typical for diurnal birds of prey (Accipitriformes). Similarly to previous studies, we found low haemosporidian prevalence in cliff-breeding species, with Leucocytozoon as the only represented blood parasite genus: 3.1% in griffon vultures (Gyps fulvus) (n = 128) and 5.3% in Egyptian vultures (Neophron percnopterus) (n = 114). In contrast, the tree-breeding cinereous vulture (Aegypius monachus) had a substantially higher prevalence: 10.3% (n = 146). By far the most common lineage in Spanish scavenging raptors was the Leucocytozoon lineage CIAE02. No effects of nestling age and sex, or temporal trends in prevalence were found, but an effect of nest habitat (tree-nest vs. cliff-nest) was found in the griffon vulture. These patterns may be explained by a preference of vectors to forage in and around trees rather than on cliffs and wide open spaces. We found an apparent detrimental effect of haemosporidians on body mass of nestling cinereous vultures. Further research is needed to evaluate the pathogenicity of each haemosporidian lineage and their interaction with the immune system of nestlings, especially if compromised due to pollution with pharmaceuticals and infection by bacterial and mycotic pathogens.

ACS Style

Nayden Chakarov; Guillermo Blanco. Blood Parasites in Sympatric Vultures: Role of Nesting Habits and Effects on Body Condition. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 2021, 18, 2431 .

AMA Style

Nayden Chakarov, Guillermo Blanco. Blood Parasites in Sympatric Vultures: Role of Nesting Habits and Effects on Body Condition. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2021; 18 (5):2431.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Nayden Chakarov; Guillermo Blanco. 2021. "Blood Parasites in Sympatric Vultures: Role of Nesting Habits and Effects on Body Condition." International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 18, no. 5: 2431.

Journal article
Published: 15 June 2020 in Parasites & Vectors
Reads 0
Downloads 0

The behaviour of blood-sucking arthropods is a crucial determinant of blood protozoan distribution and hence of host-parasite coevolution, but it is very challenging to study in the wild. The molecular identification of parasite lineages in vectors can be a useful key to understand the behaviour and transmission patterns realised by these vectors. In this study, we collected blackflies around nests of three raptor species in the upper forest canopy in central Europe and examined the presence of vertebrate DNA and haemosporidian parasites in them. We molecularly analysed 156 blackfly individuals, their vertebrate blood meals, and the haemosporidian parasite lineages they carried. We identified nine species of Simulium blackflies, largely belonging to the subgenera Nevermannia and Eusimulium. Only 1% of the collected specimens was visibly engorged, and only 4% contained remains of host DNA. However, in 29% of the blackflies Leucocytozoon lineages were identified, which is evidence of a previous blood meal on an avian host. Based on the known vertebrate hosts of the recorded Leucocytozoon lineages, we can infer that large and/or abundant birds, such as thrushes, crows, pigeons, birds of prey, owls and tits are the main targets of ornithophilic blackflies in the canopy. Blackfly species contained similar proportions of host group-specific parasite lineages and thus do not appear to be associated with particular host groups. The Leucocytozoon clade infecting thrushes, crows, and pigeons present in most represented blackfly species suggests a lack of association between hosts and blackflies, which can increase the probability of host switches of blood parasites. However, the composition of the simuliid species differed between nests of common buzzards, goshawks and red kites. This segregation can be explained by coinciding habitat preferences between host and vector, and may lead to the fast speciation of Leucocytozoon parasites. Thus, subtle ecological preferences and lack of host preference of vectors in the canopy may enable both parasite diversification and host switches, and enforce a habitat-dependent evolution of avian malaria parasites and related haemosporidia.

ACS Style

Nayden Chakarov; Helge Kampen; Anja Wiegmann; Doreen Werner; Staffan Bensch. Blood parasites in vectors reveal a united blackfly community in the upper canopy. Parasites & Vectors 2020, 13, 309 .

AMA Style

Nayden Chakarov, Helge Kampen, Anja Wiegmann, Doreen Werner, Staffan Bensch. Blood parasites in vectors reveal a united blackfly community in the upper canopy. Parasites & Vectors. 2020; 13 (1):309.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Nayden Chakarov; Helge Kampen; Anja Wiegmann; Doreen Werner; Staffan Bensch. 2020. "Blood parasites in vectors reveal a united blackfly community in the upper canopy." Parasites & Vectors 13, no. 1: 309.

Preprint content
Published: 10 June 2020
Reads 0
Downloads 0

Background: The behaviour of blood-sucking arthropods is a crucial determinant of blood protozoan distribution and hence of host-parasite coevolution, but it is very challenging to study in the wild. The molecular identification of parasite lineages in vectors can be a useful key to understand the behaviour and transmission patterns realised by these vectors. Methods: In this study, we collected blackflies around nests of three raptor species in the upper forest canopy in central Europe and examined the presence of vertebrate DNA and haemosporidian parasites in them. We molecularly analysed 156 blackfly individuals, their vertebrate blood meals, and the haemosporidian parasite lineages they carried. Results: We identified nine species of Simulium blackflies, largely belonging to the subgenera Nevermannia and Eusimulium. Only 1% of the collected specimens was visibly engorged, and only 4% contained remains of host DNA. However, in 29% of the blackflies Leucocytozoon lineages were identified, which is evidence of a previous blood meal on an avian host. Based on the known vertebrate hosts of the recorded Leucocytozoon lineages, we can infer that large and/or abundant birds, such as thrushes, crows, pigeons, birds of prey, owls and tits are the main targets of ornithophilic blackflies in the canopy. Blackfly species contained similar proportions of host group-specific parasite lineages and thus do not appear to be associated with particular host groups. Conclusions: The Leucocytozoon clade infecting thrushes, crows, and pigeons present in most represented blackfly species suggests a lack of association between hosts and blackflies, which can increase the probability of host switches of blood parasites. However, the composition of the simuliid species differed between nests of common buzzards, goshawks and red kites. This segregation can be explained by coinciding habitat preferences between host and vector, and may lead to the fast speciation of Leucocytozoon parasites. Thus, subtle ecological preferences and lack of host preference of vectors in the canopy may enable both parasite diversification and host switches, and enforce a habitat-dependent evolution of avian malaria parasites and related haemosporidia.

ACS Style

Nayden Chakarov; Helge Kampen; Anja Wiegmann; Doreen Werner; Staffan Bensch. Blood parasites in vectors reveal a united blackfly community in the upper canopy. 2020, 1 .

AMA Style

Nayden Chakarov, Helge Kampen, Anja Wiegmann, Doreen Werner, Staffan Bensch. Blood parasites in vectors reveal a united blackfly community in the upper canopy. . 2020; ():1.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Nayden Chakarov; Helge Kampen; Anja Wiegmann; Doreen Werner; Staffan Bensch. 2020. "Blood parasites in vectors reveal a united blackfly community in the upper canopy." , no. : 1.

Preprint content
Published: 12 May 2020
Reads 0
Downloads 0

Background The behaviour of blood-sucking arthropods is a crucial determinant of blood protozoan distribution and hence of host-parasite coevolution, but it is very challenging to study in the wild. The molecular identification of parasite lineages in vectors can be a useful key to understand the behaviour and transmission patterns realised by these vectors. Methods In this study, we collected blackflies around nests of three raptor species in the upper forest canopy in Central Europe and examined the presence of vertebrate DNA and haemosporidian parasites in them. We molecularly analysed 156 blackfly individuals, their vertebrate blood meals, and the haemosporidian parasite lineages they carried. Results We identified nine species of Simulium blackflies, largely belonging to the subgenera Nevermannia and Eusimulium. Only 1% of the collected specimens was visibly engorged, and only 4% contained remains of host DNA. However, in 29% of the blackflies Leucocytozoon-lineages were identified, which is evidence of a previous blood meal on an avian host. Based on the known vertebrate hosts of the recorded Leucocytozoon-lineages, we can infer that large and/or abundant birds, such as thrushes, crows, pigeons, birds of prey, owls and tits are the main targets of ornithophilic blackflies in the canopy. Blackfly species contained similar proportions of host group-specific parasite lineages and thus do not appear to be associated with particular host groups. Conclusions The Leucocytozoon clade infecting thrushes, crows, and pigeons present in most represented blackfly species suggests a lack of association between hosts and blackflies, which can increase the probability of host switches of blood parasites. However, the composition of simuliid species differed between nests of common buzzards, goshawks and red kites. This segregation can be explained by coinciding habitat preferences between host and vector, and may lead to the fast speciation of Leucocytozoon parasites. Thus, subtle ecological preferences and lack of host preference of vectors in the canopy may enable both parasite diversification and host switches, and enforce a habitat-dependent evolution of avian malaria parasites and related haemosporidia.

ACS Style

Nayden Chakarov; Helge Kampen; Anja Wiegmann; Doreen Werner; Staffan Bensch. Blood parasites in vectors reveal a united blackfly community in the upper canopy. 2020, 1 .

AMA Style

Nayden Chakarov, Helge Kampen, Anja Wiegmann, Doreen Werner, Staffan Bensch. Blood parasites in vectors reveal a united blackfly community in the upper canopy. . 2020; ():1.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Nayden Chakarov; Helge Kampen; Anja Wiegmann; Doreen Werner; Staffan Bensch. 2020. "Blood parasites in vectors reveal a united blackfly community in the upper canopy." , no. : 1.

Journal article
Published: 16 January 2018 in Malaria Journal
Reads 0
Downloads 0

Blood parasites have been studied intensely in many families of avian hosts, but corvids, a particularly cosmopolitan family, remain underexplored. Haemosporidian parasites of the common raven (Corvus corax) have not been studied, although it is the largest, most adaptable, and widespread corvid. Genetic sequence data from parasites of ravens can enhance the understanding of speciation patterns and specificity of haemosporidian parasites in corvids, and shed light how these hosts cope with parasite pressure. A baited cage trap was used to catch 86 ravens and a nested PCR protocol was used to amplify a 479 bp fragment of the haemosporidian cytochrome b gene from the samples. The obtained sequences were compared with the MalAvi database of all published haemosporidian lineages and a phylogenetic tree including all detected raven parasites was constructed. An examination of blood smears was performed for assessment of infection intensity. Twenty blood parasite lineages were recovered from ravens caught in a wild population in Bulgaria. The prevalence of generalist Plasmodium lineages was 49%, and the prevalence of Leucocytozoon lineages was 31%. Out of 13 detected Leucocytozoon lineages six were known from different corvids, while seven others seem to be specific to ravens. A phylogenetic reconstruction suggests that Leucocytozoon lineages of ravens and other corvids are not monophyletic, with some groups appearing closely related to parasites of other host families. Several different, morphologically cryptic groups of Leucocytozoon parasites appear to infect corvids. Ravens harbour both generalist corvid Leucocytozoon as well as apparently species-specific lineages. The extraordinary breeding ecology and scavenging lifestyle possibly allow ravens to evade vectors and have relatively low blood parasite prevalence compared to other corvids.

ACS Style

Peter Shurulinkov; Lachezar Spasov; Georgi Stoyanov; Nayden Chakarov. Blood parasite infections in a wild population of ravens (Corvus corax) in Bulgaria. Malaria Journal 2018, 17, 33 .

AMA Style

Peter Shurulinkov, Lachezar Spasov, Georgi Stoyanov, Nayden Chakarov. Blood parasite infections in a wild population of ravens (Corvus corax) in Bulgaria. Malaria Journal. 2018; 17 (1):33.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Peter Shurulinkov; Lachezar Spasov; Georgi Stoyanov; Nayden Chakarov. 2018. "Blood parasite infections in a wild population of ravens (Corvus corax) in Bulgaria." Malaria Journal 17, no. 1: 33.

Original paper
Published: 04 November 2016 in Evolutionary Ecology
Reads 0
Downloads 0

The evolution and maintenance of conspicuous phenotypic polymorphisms has challenged evolutionary ecologists for centuries. Polymorphisms in pleiotropic cascades or genetic linkage may lead to correlations of life history traits such as immunity, parasite infection levels, pigmentation and lifetime reproductive success. The common buzzard Buteo buteo is a bird of prey occurring in several plumage morphs, which differ in pigmentation and in the prevalence, infection intensity and clone composition of their most common blood parasite, as well as in ectoparasite infestation levels. Buzzard morphs are heritable and exhibit a heterozygote advantage where intermediates have higher lifetime reproductive success (LRS). We explored the hypothesis that the differences in pigmentation also correspond to differences in immunity. We hence compared an inducible adaptive and an innate constitutive immune response between the buzzard plumage morphs. The increase of specific anti-tetanus antibodies after vaccination was explained by the morph of the nestling’s mother and was highest in offspring of intermediate mothers. Additionally, nestlings with higher humoral response were less infected with blood parasites and, if infected, harboured a lower genetic diversity of these parasites. The phytohaemagglutinin-induced skin swelling, a complex of cellular inflammatory responses, was lowest in intermediate nestlings. The higher LRS of intermediate buzzards suggests that the cellular immunity is an inferior fitness determinant compared to humoral immunity. The strength of immune responses was not linear along the melanisation gradient, indicating that there is most likely no simple genetic correlation between immune responses and plumage morphs.

ACS Style

Nayden Chakarov; Martina Pauli; Oliver Krüger. Immune responses link parasite genetic diversity, prevalence and plumage morphs in common buzzards. Evolutionary Ecology 2016, 31, 51 -62.

AMA Style

Nayden Chakarov, Martina Pauli, Oliver Krüger. Immune responses link parasite genetic diversity, prevalence and plumage morphs in common buzzards. Evolutionary Ecology. 2016; 31 (1):51-62.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Nayden Chakarov; Martina Pauli; Oliver Krüger. 2016. "Immune responses link parasite genetic diversity, prevalence and plumage morphs in common buzzards." Evolutionary Ecology 31, no. 1: 51-62.

Comparative study
Published: 03 May 2006 in Parasitology Research
Reads 0
Downloads 0

Blood parasite prevalence in two related warbler species ( and ) was studied at three Bulgarian sites that differed mainly in altitude and weather. The prevalence of , the most common parasite genus, was significantly lower at the highest altitude site (730 m above sea level, asl). Such a pattern was not found in ectoparasite-transmitted . This can be explained with worsening conditions for the development of free-flying vectors with altitude and suggests loosening of the host-parasite conflict at higher breeding sites. The total heamatozoan prevalence was significantly higher in great reed warbler, compared with reed warbler especially as regards parasites.

ACS Style

Peter Shurulinkov; Nayden Chakarov. Prevalence of blood parasites in different local populations of reed warbler (Acrocephalus scirpaceus) and great reed warbler (Acrocephalus arundinaceus). Parasitology Research 2006, 99, 588 -592.

AMA Style

Peter Shurulinkov, Nayden Chakarov. Prevalence of blood parasites in different local populations of reed warbler (Acrocephalus scirpaceus) and great reed warbler (Acrocephalus arundinaceus). Parasitology Research. 2006; 99 (5):588-592.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Peter Shurulinkov; Nayden Chakarov. 2006. "Prevalence of blood parasites in different local populations of reed warbler (Acrocephalus scirpaceus) and great reed warbler (Acrocephalus arundinaceus)." Parasitology Research 99, no. 5: 588-592.