DISSERTATION RESEARCH: Factors Influencing the Coevolution of Peromyscus maniculatus and its Ectoparasites on the California Channel Islands

一个物种的进化成功很大程度上受其与共享其环境的其他物种的相互作用的影响。受种间相互作用强烈影响的进化模式的最好例子之一是宿主和它们的寄生虫之间的关系。对宿主-寄生虫相互作用的研究发现，高度宿主特异性的寄生虫和它们的宿主之间通常共享相似的进化历史，而通才型寄生虫几乎独立于它们的宿主进化。这就提出了一个重要的问题：是什么因素驱动了宿主和寄生虫之间的共同进化模式？本研究以加利福尼亚海峡群岛的鹿鼠、Peromyscus maniculatus及其体外寄生虫为模型系统，探讨寄生虫之间的差异如何影响它们在宿主身上和与宿主之间的进化。这项研究还将检查不同岛屿上的替代宿主的可用性如何影响鹿鼠与其寄生虫之间的关系。该项目提供了一个研究宿主-寄生虫相互作用的新系统。比较海峡群岛上寄生虫及其宿主的共同进化将有助于梳理影响宿主-寄生虫系统进化的基本因素，这对野生动物保护和疾病生态学的研究都很重要。此外，这项工作将为海峡群岛鹿鼠提供有价值的种群遗传信息，这是加利福尼亚特别关注的物种，它将为当地本科生提供实地研究培训机会。

The evolutionary success of a species is greatly influenced by its interactions with other species sharing its environment. One of the best examples of evolutionary patterns strongly influenced by interspecific interactions is the relationship between hosts and their parasites. Studies examining host-parasite interactions have found that similar evolutionary histories are most often shared between highly host-specific parasites and their hosts, while generalist parasites evolve almost independently from their hosts. This raises an important question: What factors drive patterns of coevolution between hosts and their parasites? Using the deer mouse, Peromyscus maniculatus, and its ectoparasites on the California Channel Islands as a model system, this study will investigate how differences between parasites affect their evolution on and with their hosts. The study will also examine how the availability of alternative hosts on different islands affects the relationship between deer mice and their parasites. This project provides a novel system in which to study host-parasite interactions. Comparing the coevolution of parasites and their hosts on the Channel Islands will help tease apart the basic factors influencing evolution in host-parasite systems, which will be important for the study of both wildlife conservation and the ecology of diseases. Additionally, this work will provide valuable population genetic information for Channel Islands deer mice, a species of special concern in California, and it will provide field research training opportunities for a local undergraduate.