DISSERTATION RESEARCH: Predation and Disease: Examining Patterns of Predator Diversity and Parasite Infection in Nature

论文研究：捕食与疾病：检查自然界捕食者多样性和寄生虫感染的模式

• 批准号: 1209607
• 负责人: Pieter Johnson
• 金额: $ 1.47万
• 依托单位: University of Colorado at Boulder
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2012
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2012-06-01 至 2013-08-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1209607&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: DISSERTATION; RESEARCH; Predation; Disease; Examining

While often studied in isolation, host-parasite interactions are typically embedded within complex communities in which parasite transmission is dependent not just on the host species, but non-host species such as predators. Recent research has focused on the ability of predators to limit the exposure of hosts to their pathogens by controlling population density of hosts and vectors. An additional mechanism by which predators could lower the risk of disease is by directly consuming parasite free-living infective stages. Preliminary evidence suggests that this mechanism may be common in aquatic ecosystems where various predator species consume free-living stages of parasites, including macroparasites such as trematodes. The central goal of this project is to determine how assemblages of predators affect parasitic infection of amphibians in nature, and whether loss of predator species would cause significant changes to disease dynamics. This research extends initial laboratory findings by testing hypotheses of predation on parasites in the field through extensive surveys of aquatic diversity and precise examination of host infection and disease on the landscape level. This research combines mathematical modeling, laboratory experiments, and field surveys linking observations of natural patterns to functional mechanisms. Since trematodes are common pathogens of humans, domestic animals, and wildlife this study will advance understanding of how loss of biodiversity in general and predators in particular may be a factor in the recent emergence of some diseases. Development of the transmission models, evaluations of aquatic predator community structure in the field, and calculations of disease risk will be of practical application to management of wildlife and human diseases. This project will provide extensive outreach through after school programs for a local elementary school having many students from groups underrepresented in science, and through environmental science programs conducted by Boulder County 4-H. Undergraduate and high school students will be involved in the research and receive mentoring on science careers.

虽然经常孤立地研究，但宿主-寄生虫相互作用通常嵌入复杂的群落中，其中寄生虫传播不仅依赖于宿主物种，还依赖于非宿主物种，如捕食者。 最近的研究集中在捕食者通过控制宿主和病媒的种群密度来限制宿主暴露于其病原体的能力。 捕食者可以降低疾病风险的另一种机制是直接消耗寄生虫自由生活的感染阶段。 初步证据表明，这种机制可能是常见的水生生态系统中，各种捕食物种消耗寄生虫，包括大型寄生虫，如吸虫的自由生活阶段。 该项目的中心目标是确定捕食者的聚集如何影响自然界中两栖动物的寄生虫感染，以及捕食者物种的丧失是否会导致疾病动态的重大变化。 这项研究扩展了最初的实验室研究结果，通过广泛的调查水生生物多样性和精确的检查宿主感染和疾病的景观水平，通过测试假设的捕食寄生虫在现场。这项研究结合了数学建模，实验室实验和实地调查，将自然模式的观察与功能机制联系起来。由于吸虫是人类，家畜和野生动物的常见病原体，这项研究将促进了解生物多样性的丧失，特别是捕食者可能是最近出现的一些疾病的一个因素。传播模型的发展，水生捕食者群落结构的评价，在外地，和疾病风险的计算将实际应用于野生动物和人类疾病的管理。 该项目将通过课后活动为当地一所小学提供广泛的外展服务，该小学有许多来自科学代表性不足的群体的学生，并通过博尔德县4-H开展的环境科学项目。 本科生和高中生将参与研究，并接受科学职业指导。