DISSERTATION RESEARCH: Elucidating Evolutionary Histories of Multiple Chipmunk Parasites Using Next Generation Sequencing

这项研究调查了北美西部时间和空间可变环境中寄生虫对其花栗鼠宿主多样化的反应。花栗鼠经常感染外部寄生的吸虱和内部寄生的蛔虫。目前尚不清楚寄生虫谱系是否仅限于单个花栗鼠物种，并与宿主谱系一起多样化(共同多样化)，或者它们是否适应了花栗鼠之间共享的资源，从而可以感染它们遇到的任何花栗鼠物种。该项目测试每种寄生虫和宿主之间的共多样化，并调查气候在决定寄生虫分布和多样性方面的作用。这项研究结合了地理图谱和基因测序技术来确定气候、地理和物种关联在进化多样性中的影响。对宿主和寄生虫进化史的综合看法具有广泛的意义，包括气候变化对病原体和寄生虫的影响。除了目前对气候变化的生物反应的兴趣之外，研究寄主和寄生虫的关联可以测试基本的共同进化规则和假设。这项研究将为本科生和研究生提供野外、博物馆和分子实验室研究方面的培训。此外，该项目将通过提高对自然历史收藏价值的认识的探究驱动的学生项目，将博物馆标本和数据库整合到本科课程中。通过这项研究，将向学生介绍生物信息学中的尖端分析和协作方法。花栗鼠是人们熟悉的、高度可见的动物，它提供了一个与学校团体、公众和其他人就保护、进化和寄生虫进行对话的门户。

This research investigates the response of parasites to the diversification of their chipmunk hosts across temporally and spatially variable environments in western North America. Chipmunks are frequently infected with externally-parasitic sucking lice and internally-parasitic pinworms. It is unclear if parasite lineages are restricted to individual chipmunk species and diversifying in tandem with the host lineages (codiversification), or if they are adapted to a resource shared among chipmunks and thus can infect any species of chipmunk they encounter. This project tests for codiversification among each parasite and the hosts and investigates the role of climate in determining parasite distribution and diversity. The research uses a combination of geographic mapping and genetic sequencing techniques to determine the influence of climate, geography, and species associations in evolutionary diversification.An integrated view of the evolutionary history of hosts and parasites has wide-ranging implications, including consequences of climate change on pathogens and parasites. Beyond the current interest in biotic responses to climate change, studying host-parasite associations allows for testing of foundational coevolutionary rules and hypotheses. This research will provide training for undergraduate and graduate students in field, museum, and molecular lab research. Additionally, this project will feed into an effort to integrate museum specimens and databases into undergraduate courses through inquiry-driven student projects that raise awareness of the value of natural history collections. Through this research, students will be introduced to cutting-edge analytical and collaborative approaches in bioinformatics. Chipmunks are familiar, highly visible, and provide a gateway to conversations with school groups, the public, and others about conservation, evolution, and parasites.