Dissertation Research: Patterns of Swallow Bug Dispersal and Infestation

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This research will study the processes that generate overdispersed distributions of the hematophagous ectoparasite Oeciacus vicarius (Cimicidae) on it's colonial host, the cliff swallow (Hirundo pyrrhonata). The study will combine observations on the spatial and temporal pattern of parasitism with field and laboratory experiments on the movement of individual parasites. By fumigating cliff swallow nests to remove parasites and reintroducing fixed numbers of marked bugs, the study will investigate how factors such as host quality, host nest density, and conspecific density affect the dispersal activity of individual bugs. Female swallow bugs will be fed on swallow nestlings of various ages to determine the advantage of feeding on hosts of different quality. The dispersal paths of individual swallow bugs under natural conditions and laboratory arenas will be observed to see if their movements are random or conform to theories of directed dispersal on a signal gradient (kinesis). In order to understand the importance of intercolony dispersal of bugs, whole colonies will be fumigated and recolonization rates recorded. The predictions of mathematical models will then be compared, based on individual movement data to observed parasite distributions. The goal is to understand how the movement behavior of individual bugs translates into an emergent pattern of parasite infestation.