DOI: 10.5061/dryad.h9w0vt4w1
title: Data from: Plastic responses of <em>Plasmodium relictum</em> to competent and non-competent mosquito bites

description: Environmental unpredictability challenges the transmission success of
 vector-borne parasites like Plasmodium, whose fitness depends on
 synchronizing gametocyte production with vector availability. Although
 mosquito bites are known to trigger Plasmodium responses, it remains
 unclear whether parasites respond specifically to competent vectors or
 adopt a generalist strategy. We experimentally infected birds with the
 avian malaria parasite Plasmodium relictum and exposed them to bites from
 either a competent (Culex quinquefasciatus) or a non-competent (Anopheles
 gambiae) vector species. Both exposures induced a rise in parasitaemia,
 but the response was significantly stronger to the non-competent species.
 Host inflammatory, humoral, and stress markers remained similar across
 mosquito treatments, implying that unidentified physiological cues may
 underlie the parasite's response. No species-specific modulation of
 gametocyte conversion rate or sex ratio was observed. These findings
 suggest that P. relictum does not discriminate between mosquito species,
 instead employing a generalist, possibly bet-hedging strategy in response
 to any mosquito bite. Our results highlight the importance of mosquito
 community composition in shaping parasite transmission dynamics. If
 non-vector mosquitoes enhance Plasmodium transmission investment, shifts
 in vector assemblages due to climate change or control measures may have
 unanticipated effects on disease ecology.
description: # Data from: Plastic responses of *Plasmodium relictum* to competent and
 non-competent mosquito bites DOI: 10.5061/dryad.h9w0vt4w1 #### Description
 This dataset contains quantitative PCR (qPCR) measurements of parasitaemia
 (DNA-based) and gametocytaemia (RNA-based, male and female markers) in
 canaries experimentally infected with *Plasmodium relictum* and exposed to
 mosquito bites from either a competent vector (*Culex quinquefasciatus*),
 a non-competent vector (*Anopheles gambiae*), or no mosquitoes (control).\
 The data were used to estimate total parasite burden, gametocyte sex
 ratio, and conversion rate across time points and treatments, as reported
 in the main manuscript. In addition, datasets describing host
 physiological responses—measured via ELISA-based quantification of
 corticosterone, C-reactive protein (CRP), and IgY antibodies—are included.
 All missing data represented as NA. ### Files included #### 1.
 `qPCR_DNA_Parasito.csv` * **Description:** DNA-based quantification of
 total parasite load (parasitaemia). * **Separator:** Comma (`,`). *
 **Columns:** * `Marker`: target gene used (`Plasmo` = *Plasmodium* Cyt b)
 * `Stimulation`: mosquito exposure treatment (`CQ` = *Culex*, `AG` =
 *Anopheles*, `Non-stimulated` = control) * `Birdtag`: individual bird ID *
 `Time`: sampling day (relative to mosquito exposure) * `Ct_value`: qPCR
 cycle threshold * `LogParasitaemia`: log10-transformed estimate of
 parasite density #### 2. `RT-qPCR_RNA_Gameto.csv` * **Description:**
 RNA-based quantification for male and female gametocyte abundance. *
 **Separator:** Comma (`,`). * **Columns:** * `Marker`: stage-specific
 markers (`Female`, `Male`, `Asexual`) and housekeeping gene (`GAPDH`) *
 `Stimulation`: mosquito exposure treatment * `Birdtag`: individual bird ID
 * `Time`: sampling day (relative to mosquito exposure) * `Ct_value`:
 RT-qPCR cycle threshold * `LogPlasmidCopies`: log10-transformed plasmid
 copy number #### 3. `ELISA_Corticosterone.csv` * **Description:** Plasma
 corticosterone levels measured via ELISA. * **Separator:** Comma (`,`). *
 **Columns:** * `Birdtag`: individual bird ID * `Time`: sampling day
 (relative to mosquito exposure) * `Stimulation`: mosquito exposure
 treatment * `Corticosterone`: hormone concentration (ng/mL) #### 4.
 `ELISA_CRP.csv` * **Description:** C-reactive protein (CRP) levels
 measured from plasma via ELISA. * **Separator:** Comma (`,`). *
 **Columns:** * `Birdtag`: individual bird ID * `Stimulation`: mosquito
 exposure treatment * `Time`: sampling day (relative to mosquito exposure)
 * `CRP`: concentration of CRP (ng/mL) * `Plate`: ELISA plate number (for
 technical tracking) #### 5. `ELISA_IgY.csv` * **Description:** IgY
 antibody concentrations measured via ELISA. * **Separator:** Comma (`,`).
 * **Columns:** * `Birdtag`: individual bird ID * `Stimulation`: mosquito
 exposure treatment * `Time`: sampling day (relative to mosquito exposure)
 * `IgY`: antibody concentration (µg/mL) #### 6. `Bloodsmears.csv` *
 **Description:** Percentage of infected erythrocytes measured by blood
 smears to monitor parasitaemia in birds. * **Separator:** Comma (`,`). *
 **Columns:** * `Birdtag`: individual bird ID * `Stimulation`: mosquito
 exposure treatment (`Non-stimulated`, `Culex`, `Anopheles`) * `Time`:
 sampling day (relative to mosquito exposure) * `Parasitaemia`: percentage
 of infected erythrocytes (% iRBC) #### 7.
 `Statistical_Analyses_BiologyLetters_Chauvin_2025.Rmd` * **Description:**
 R Markdown script used for all statistical analyses and figure generation
 presented in the manuscript. * **Format:** `.Rmd` file compatible with R
 (≥ 4.3.0) and RStudio. * **Contents:** * Data import and relative
 transformation * Statistical analyses (linear mixed models, post-hoc
 tests, model diagnostics) * Data visualization (line plots, boxplots, and
 summary statistics) * **Required R packages:**\ `tidyverse`, `ggplot2`,
 `ggpubr`, `dplyr`, `tidyr`, `lme4`, `lmerTest`, `emmeans`, `Hmisc`,
 `performance`, `car`, `Matrix`, `patchwork`, `cowplot`, `datawizard` ####
 Contact **Valentin Chauvin**\ University of Montpellier / MIVEGEC (IRD
 Occitanie); [valentin.chauvin@ird.fr](mailto:valentin.chauvin@ird.fr)