Prevalence of Leucocytozoon infection in the Boreal Owl breeding population in relation to varying environmental conditions (2020-2022)
Řešitel: Lic. Fernando Alfonso Riera Izarra
Boreal Owl’s (Aegolius funereus) breeding and dietary ecology has been broadly studied in relation to varying environmental conditions, mainly prey availability. However, the studies of blood parasites infection of this owl species are rare. We will examine the effect of varying food availability, habitat characteristics, and reproductive traits on the Leucocytozoon infection prevalence in breeding Boreal Owl. The sample population inhabits nest boxes inside our study site located in the Ore Mountains, Czech Republic. We will use field data collection, as well as molecular and statistical techniques to examine the specific hypotheses. Mainly, we suggest that (i) food availability, as well as the type of habitat, will affect the Leucocytozoon infection prevalence in breeding individuals, and iii) the Leucocytozoon infection occurrence will affect reproductive outputs of breeding individuals.