The epizootiology and ecological significance of malaria in Hawaiian land birds

Author:

Goff, M. Lee, Laird, Michael, Van Riper, Charles III, Van Riper, Sandra G.

Title:

The epizootiology and ecological significance of malaria in Hawaiian land birds

Periodical:

Ecological Monographs

Year:

1986

Volume:

56

Pages:

327-344

Subject:

Avian malaria Birds diseases Birds extinction Birds Hawaiʻi Host-parasite relationships Plasmodium Population regulation

Summary:

In historical times, more endemic bird species have become extinct in the Hawaiian Islands than in any other comparable region of the world. Theories to explain why this happened shortly after the arrival of Captain Cook in 1778 are: habitat destruction by humans and introduced ungulates, the indiscriminate killing of birds by humans, competition with other birds that were introduced to Hawaii, as well as introduced predators and introduced diseases such as malaria and the Avian Pox virus. While there is a great concern regarding a possible link between introduced disease and the depletion of many native Hawaiian birds, very little data was available to prove or disprove this possible link. As a result, this study was done in an effort to clarify the impact that an introduced malaria parasite has had on the native Hawaiian avifauna.

Label:

Birds - General

Date:

1986

Collection:

Periodicals