BEE: SG: How host migratory behavior shapes the evolution of parasite virulence

从鸟类到鲸鱼，从帝王蝶到鱼类，地球仪上的动物每年都会进行季节性的迁徙，行程数千英里。这些大的运动模式也影响较小的生物体-即感染动物宿主的寄生虫。在一年的时间里，迁徙者会接触到不同的非迁徙动物。由于迁徙和非迁徙物种可能各自感染不同的寄生虫，这些新的接触提供了物种间寄生虫传播的机会。然而，目前尚不清楚在什么条件下寄生虫实际上能够在宿主之间移动，以及寄生虫对其新宿主的代价有多大。该项目的目的是预测了解寄生虫何时能够在迁移和非迁移宿主之间移动，以及寄生虫可能会减少新宿主的存活率。明尼苏达大学的研究人员（包括本科生和研究生）将通过开发新的数学模型来实现这一目标。这项工作的结果将有助于我们了解寄生虫在迁徙野生动物和定居牲畜和水产养殖物种之间的传播。这些发现将通过国家和国际报告和出版物传达给科学界，并通过自然历史博物馆和农贸市场的当地推广计划传达给公众。尽管人们越来越关注迁徙物种如何影响新兴传染病，目前还没有概念性的框架来预测寄生虫在什么条件下可以在宿主之间移动，以及寄生虫在宿主之间移动会产生什么后果。毒力（寄生虫诱导的宿主死亡率）。寄生虫正在选择增加向新宿主传播的策略。有趣的是，一般理论的预测（在迁移的背景下解释）表明，寄生虫在迁移宿主中应该更具毒性，而迁移宿主的寄生虫的经验模式则相反。这项研究将发展理论，专门针对了解宿主迁移模式应如何塑造寄生虫毒力，以调和文献中的这一冲突。该模型将测试的作用（一）主机的生活史参数，（二）寄生虫施加类似的成本在不同的主机亚群的程度，（三）寄生虫感染的成本货币，在塑造寄生虫传播毒力strategy.This奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并已被认为是值得通过使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估的支持。

From birds to whales, monarchs to fish, animals across the globe embark on seasonal migrations each year, traveling thousands of miles. These big movement patterns also affect smaller organisms – namely the parasites that infect animal hosts. Over the course of a year, migrants come into contact with different non-migratory animals. Since migratory and non-migratory species may each be infected by different parasites, these new contacts present opportunity for parasite transmission between species. However, it is not clear under what conditions parasites are actually able to move between hosts, and how costly parasites will be to their new hosts. The aim of this project is to develop a predictive understanding of when parasites are able to move between migratory and non-migratory hosts, and how much parasites are likely to decrease the survival of their new hosts. Researchers at the University of Minnesota (including undergraduate and graduate students) will accomplish this by developing novel mathematical models. The outcome of this work will help shape our understanding of parasite transmission between migratory wildlife and sedentary livestock and aquaculture species. The findings will be communicated to the scientific community through national and international presentations and publications, and to the public through local outreach programs at a natural history museum and farmer’s markets.Despite increasing concern as to how migratory species influence emerging infectious disease, there is no conceptual framework to predict under what conditions parasites can move between hosts and what the consequences will be for parasite virulence (parasite-induced host mortality). Parasites are under selection for strategies that increase transmission to new hosts. Intriguingly, predictions from general theory (interpreted in the context of migration) suggest that parasites should be more virulent in migratory hosts, while empirical patterns from parasites of migratory hosts suggest the opposite. This research will develop theory specifically aimed at understanding how host migration patterns should shape parasite virulence, in order to reconcile this conflict in the literature. The models will test the role of (i) host life history parameters, (ii) the degree to which parasites impose similar costs in different host sub-populations, and (iii) cost currency of parasite infection, in shaping parasite transmission-virulence strategy.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.