DISSERTATION RESEARCH: Does Host Genetic Variation Influence Susceptibility to a Novel Pathogen?

遗传多样性在多大程度上提高了对疾病的抵抗力，这是一个很少在自然动物种群中进行研究的重要问题。一种衰弱的细菌病原体最近在家雀Carpodacus micianus种群中定居，减少了遗传变异，为研究遗传多样性如何影响抗病提供了难得的机会。Andre Dhondt博士和Dana Hawley博士的这项研究结合了田间数据、圈养鸟类实验和分子技术，以检验家雀个体内或个体之间的遗传多样性是否预测了对这种新病原体的抗性。此外，这项研究还测试了遗传多样性和抗病之间潜在的生理机制。这项研究的结果对于理解社会有机体中的病原体动态，以及保护通常具有低水平遗传多样性的小型隔离动物种群都是相关的。随着全球农业贸易和栖息地破坏的加剧，易受伤害宿主的病原体定殖化将变得越来越普遍，可能造成毁灭性的后果。这项研究的更广泛影响还包括本科生广泛参与研究，并将结果传播给康奈尔鸟类学实验室成员和广大公众。

To what extent genetic diversity increases resistance to disease is an important question that has rarely been examined in natural populations of animals. A debilitating bacterial pathogen recently colonized populations of house finches, Carpodacus mexicanus, that had reduced genetic variation, providing a rare opportunity to investigate how genetic diversity impacts disease resistance. The study by Dr. Andre Dhondt and Dana Hawley integrates field data, captive bird experiments, and molecular techniques to examine whether genetic diversity within or among house finch individuals predicts resistance to this novel pathogen. Furthermore, this study tests the potential physiological mechanisms underlying the relationship between genetic diversity and disease resistance.Results from this study are relevant both for understanding pathogen dynamics in social organisms and for conserving small, isolated animal populations that often harbor low levels of genetic diversity. As worldwide agricultural traffic and habitat destruction intensify, pathogen colonization of vulnerable hosts will become increasingly common, with potentially devastating consequences. Broader impacts of this study also include extensive research participation by undergraduates and the dissemination of results to members of Cornell's Laboratory of Ornithology and the public at large.