My research program explores the Evolutionary Ecology of Parasites. This poster highlights some of the questions that we are exploring in our ongoing research (created Feb 2022).
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How does host ecology influence the distribution of parasite genetic variation?
Many parasites are trophically transmitted especially from the intermediate host to the final vertebrate host. Thus, parasite infection provides some information (“yes”, “no”) on host diet. However, inferences of diet from parasites can be incomplete or incorrect due to several factors including cryptic morphology (see above) and incomplete knowledge of parasite life cycles and host specificity. To address this issue, we are using stable isotope analysis to determine host diet and then using statistical modeling to determine how the proportions of particular prey items relates to the parasite infection patterns (prevalence and intensity).
This research uses fur trapper donated hosts (muskrats), field collections of potential prey and plants, stable isotope analysis, trematode identification, and statistical modeling to understand how diet relates to parasitism. Overall, this research will promote a better understanding of parasite transmission and help determine how useful stable isotope analysis may be in predicting parasite infection patterns. |