Spring reproductive success influences autumnal malarial load in wild birds

The data and R scripts contained in the attached files are associated with the following article: "Spring reproductive success influences autumnal malarial load in wild birds" deposited in BioRxiv on July 30, 2023 by Pigeault and colleagues.

In this study we monitored the intensities of infection by two haemosporidian parasites – Plasmodium relictum and P. homonucleophilum – in two wild populations of great tits (Parus major) in Switzerland over three years, to characterize their annual infection dynamics. We also collected data on birds’ reproductive output – laying date, clutch size, fledging success – to determine whether they were associated with infection intensity before (winter), during (spring) and after (autumn) breeding season.