COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: Hot Today, Cold Tomorrow? Variable Persistence of Generalist Predator Hot Spots and the Dynamics of their Prey and Parasites

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Nature is not uniform: it shows "hot spots" and "cold spots" for any species or process. For example, in a forest patch with a moderately dense population of chipmunks, some particular sites ("hot spots") get visited by chipmunks much more often than others ("cold spots"). The existence of such hot and cold spots can affect processes such as how rapidly diseases are transmitted or whether or not a prey species goes extinct. This study takes the problem a step further, by specifically examining how the persistence of hot and cold spots affects the impact of white-footed mice and chipmunks on their prey (gypsy moths and ground-nesting birds) and parasites (ticks and Lyme disease bacteria). Populations of these rodents will be manipulated to create permanent (3 years) and temporary (1 year) cold spots, and survival of their prey and infection prevalence of ticks will be compared between the two treatments. The research will show how the persistence of hot and cold spots of pivotal small mammals affects human health (Lyme disease risk), forest health (gypsy moth outbreak risk), and abundance of songbirds. The project will contribute to primary education through a web-based resource created in collaboration with educators and targeted toward grades 6-12. The project will also provide research training for both undergraduate and graduate students. Finally, the research will inform efforts to enhance biological pest control, conserve rare species, or reduce spread of diseases.