Collaborative Research: Infection Decisions by Insect-Parasitic Nematodes

寄生虫感染阶段在感染前评估潜在宿主的适合性。 传统上，一个宿主被认为是一个静态的实体，但一个以上的个体经常感染一个宿主。 随着宿主感染的进展，宿主作为感染阶段寄生虫资源的价值发生变化。 因此，宿主-寄生虫相互作用是动态的，并且预测感染阶段在感染过程的不同点对宿主的反应不同。本研究的目的是解释昆虫寄生线虫和它们的宿主之间的行为相互作用。 具体而言，寄生虫感染阶段的行为（主机吸引和渗透）是如何受到影响的变化，在感染过程中的挥发性主机线索和接触主机线索。 然后，将确定寄生虫基于这些线索的决策的适应性后果。 最后，寄生虫如何决定是否感染宿主，以及决策的成本和收益如何影响寄生虫的成功，将得到解释。 本研究的影响包括：1）提高了对寄生虫/宿主关系的理解，2）增加了昆虫寄生线虫作为昆虫生物控制剂的可预测性，3）增加了代表性不足的群体的本科生进行研究的机会，4）发展昆虫寄生线虫/宿主协会作为高等本科课程的教学工具。

Parasite infective stages evaluate a potential host for its suitability before committing to infection. A host has traditionally been regarded as a static entity, but more than one individual often infects a single host. As the infection in a host progresses, the value of the host as a resource to an infective stage parasite changes. Thus, host-parasite interactions are dynamic and infective stages are predicted to respond differently to hosts at different points in the infection process. The objective of this research is to explain behavioral interactions between insect-parasitic nematodes and their hosts. Specifically, how parasite infective stage behavior (host attraction and penetration) is affected by changes in volatile host cues and contact host cues during the course of infection will be addressed. Then, the fitness consequences of decisions based upon these cues by the parasites will be determined. Ultimately, how parasites decide whether or not to infect a host, and how the costs and benefits of decisions influence parasite success, will be explained. The impact of this research includes: 1) improved understanding of parasite/host relationships, 2) increased predictability of insect-parasitic nematodes as biological control agents for insects, 3) increased opportunities for undergraduate students of underrepresented groups to conduct research, 4) development of insect-parasitic nematode/host association as a teaching tool for advanced undergraduate courses.