NSF Postdoctoral Fellowship in Biology FY 2012

传染病的群落生态学：维持病原体和宿主多样性的机制确定生物多样性的原因和后果仍然是生态学的一个主要挑战。虽然病原体是高度多样化的，我们缺乏一个更普遍的了解如何社区生态规则适用于他们。本研究的目的是研究是什么维持病原体的多样性在自然界中，以及病原体的多样性如何影响主机社区动态。所研究的模式系统是在加州草原的大麦和谷类黄矮病毒（B/CYDV）。B/CYDV是一组由蚜虫传播的病毒，感染数百种栽培和野生草，如小麦和大麦，造成重大损害。病原体多样性的后果包括产量下降和谷物品质差。数学建模将帮助研究人员了解病原体多样性的原因和后果。奖学金培训将提高博士后研究员的数学技能和实验室技能，例如识别病毒的分子技术。B/CYDV不仅是研究野生动物疾病的模型系统，而且是一种作物害虫，因此这项研究的结果可能会为农业实践提供信息。博士后研究员将参与本科生的研究，提供部门研讨会，在人口生态学和疾病生态学客座讲座，并通过在加州大学霍普兰研究和推广中心的计划参与公共宣传。

Community ecology of infectious diseases: mechanisms maintaining pathogen and host diversityIdentifying the causes and consequences of biological diversity remains a major challenge in ecology. Although pathogens are highly diverse, we lack a more general understanding of how the rules of community ecology apply to them. The objective of this research is to examine what maintains pathogen diversity in nature, and how pathogen diversity affects host community dynamics. The model system being studied is the barley and cereal yellow dwarf viruses (B/CYDVs) in California grasslands. B/CYDVs are a group of viruses spread by aphids that infect hundreds cultivated and wild grasses, such as wheat and barley, causing significant damage. The consequences of pathogen diversity include decreased yields and poor grain quality. Mathematical modeling will help researchers understand the causes and consequences of pathogen diversity.The fellowship training will enhance the postdoctoral fellow's mathematical skills and lab skills such as molecular techniques for identifying viruses. B/CYDVs are important not only as a model system for studying disease in wildlife, but also as a crop pest, so results of this fellowship may inform agricultural practices. The postdoctoral fellow will involve undergraduates in research, deliver department seminars, give guest lectures in Population Ecology and Disease Ecology and participate in public outreach via programs at the UC Hopland Research and Extension Center.