DOI: 10.5061/dryad.gd6fk
title: Data from: Testing local adaptation in a natural great tit-malaria system: an experimental approach

description: Finding out whether Plasmodium spp. are coevolving with their vertebrate
 hosts is of both theoretical and applied interest and can influence our
 understanding of the effects and dynamics of malaria infection. In this
 study, we tested for local adaptation as a signature of coevolution
 between malaria blood parasites, Plasmodium spp. and its host, the great
 tit, Parus major. We conducted a reciprocal transplant experiment of birds
 in the field, where we exposed birds from two populations to Plasmodium
 parasites. This experimental set-up also provided a unique opportunity to
 study the natural history of malaria infection in the wild and to assess
 the effects of primary malaria infection on juvenile birds. We present
 three main findings: i) there was no support for local adaptation; ii)
 there was a male-biased infection rate; iii) infection occurred towards
 the end of the summer and differed between sites. There were also
 site-specific effects of malaria infection on the hosts. Taken together,
 we present one of the few experimental studies of parasite-host local
 adaptation in a natural malaria system, and our results shed light on the
 effects of avian malaria infection in the wild.
description: Malaria infection status
 and intensity and great tit host morphological data to assess local
 adaptation between great tit and malariaThese data were
 collected from great tits for a reciprocal transplant experiment that took
 place in the Canton de Vaud, Switzerland in the summer of 2013. Bird: ring
 number. Release Cage: the aviary that birds were released in. Treatment:
 mal = malarone, pbs= control with phosphate buffered saline. Block: which
 block birds were in. Nest: the nest of origin of each bird. Site_origin:
 the site that each bird originated from. Release_site: the site where
 birds were released (in aviaries for the experiment). Wing_end: wing
 measurement at the end of the experiment. Tars_end: tarsus length at the
 end of the experiment. Wgt_end: weight at the end of the experiment.
 Haem_end: haematocrit at the end of the experiment. Temp_end: temperature
 at the end of the experiment. July_dayinf: the date that birds got
 infected (number of days since July 1st). July_dayend: the date of the end
 of the experiment (number of days since July 1st). inf_end: whether birds
 were infected at the end of the experiment. logr: log parasitaemia at the
 end of the experiment (for formula see main text). membr_resist_end:
 oxidative stress measurement as membrane resistance at the end of the
 experiment. Wing_max: wing length when infection was at its peak.
 Tarsus_max: tarsus length at the peak of infection. Wgt_max: the weight at
 the peak of infection. Haem_max: haematocrit at the peak of infection.
 Temp_max: the temperature at the peak of infection. membr_resist_max:
 oxidative stress measurement as membrane resistance at the peak of
 infection. July_daymax: date at which the maximum parasitaemia was
 recorded (in number of days since July 1st). logr_max: log parasitaemia at
 the end of the experiment (for formula see main text)Jenkins_LA_Greti_Dryad.xlsx