International Research Fellowship Program: Experimental Determination of Lifecycles of Cestode Parasites of Elasmobranchs Using DNA Sequence Data

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0107384TylerThe International Research Fellow Awards Program enables U.S. scientists and engineers to conduct three to twenty-four months of research abroad. The program's awards provide opportunities for joint research, and the use of unique or complementary facilities, expertise and experimental conditions abroad.This award will provide twelve months of support to Dr. Gaines Tyler to work with Dr. Thomas H. Cribb at the University of Queensland in Brisbane, Australia.This project will determine life-cycles for 9-12 species of tapeworms from elasmobranches (final hosts). DNA sequences from adult specimens will be used to construct a library. Larval stages will be identified by comparing their DNA sequences to sequences in the library. By identifying hosts for both adult and larva, the final stage of the life-cycle will be determined. This project will address the specificity of parasite-host relationships in these cestode species. The life cycles of tapeworms in elasmobranches are poorly known and this project will extend our knowledge.The research site, Australia's Great Barrier Reef, hosts one of the greatest diversities of elasmobranches in the world. Dr. Cribb has extensive experience in the resolution of flatworm life-cycles using molecular techniques.