Dissertation Research: The effect of intra-specific host variation on the structure of parasite populations

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The western blacklegged tick, Ixodes pacificus, is an important vector of diseases between wildlife and humans in the West, transmitting both Lyme disease and anaplasmosis. The ecology of these ticks is complicated and poorly understood, with many animal hosts that may serve as intermediaries in the spread of the diseases. Using next generation DNA sequence data from both ticks and the animal hosts from which they were collected, as well as cutting-edge spatial genetic statistical methods, the researchers investigate (1) whether ticks collected from different host species are more genetically differentiated than would be expected given their geographic separation, and (2) whether the relatedness between host individuals of the same species predicts the relatedness of the ticks that infest them.It is difficult to observe the spread of vectors and pathogens in nature, but a grasp of the dynamics that govern the distribution of a disease and its vectors can be of crucial epidemiological or economic importance. In this study, researchers will use genetic data to uncover critical clues about the natural history and ecology of an important vector of human diseases, as well as valuable insights into the ecology of the diseases themselves.