Dissertation Enhancement: Host-Parasite Evolution on the Galapagos Islands

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This U.S.-Ecuador award will support the dissertation research of Noah K. Whiteman, University of Missouri, Saint Louis, under the direction of Dr. Patricia G. Parker. Their project will enhance an existing and growing collaboration among scientists and students from the University of Missouri-St. Louis and Charles Darwin Research Station in Ecuador and Pontificia Universidad Catolica del Ecuador. They will investigate native and introduced avian pathogens in Galapagos birds, specifically, host-parasite evolution in the Galapagos hawk and its native insectine parasites. This project has conservation implications because parasites are important regulators of host populations, and both lice and hippoboscid flies are avian disease vectors. Understanding the basic biology of this system will aid in the management of the Galapagos National Park, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Ecuadorians will be trained with the necessary tools for establishing a permanent disease-monitoring program in the Galapagos Islands.