The impact of livestock on parasite transmission in communities of African savanna herbivores

随着人口的增长，撒哈拉以南非洲的野生动物受到人类活动的压力越来越大。在热带稀树草原上，食草动物越来越多地与牲畜共享牧场，但人们对共存的生态后果知之甚少。一个特殊的知识缺口涉及牲畜存在对寄生虫传播模式的影响。该学生将在肯尼亚进行实地考察，收集草食动物寄生虫感染的主要数据，随后分析数据，探索牲畜-野生动物传播模式。该项目与“非洲之角”有关，这是一个多伙伴培训和研究方案，侧重于非洲之角的“一种健康”。在非洲领导实地工作的信心（最好有证据支持）和在粪卵计数和/或共培养方面的实验室经验将是有利的，但不是必需的。目标：(1)量化牲畜存在对非洲大草原系统寄生虫传播的影响(2)利用这一见解为保护管理和牲畜生产提出建议。

With a growing human population, wildlife in sub-Saharan Africa is under intensifying pressure from human activities. On savannas, herbivores increasingly share their pastures with livestock but the ecological consequences of coexistence remain poorly understood. A particular knowledge gap relates to the effect of livestock presence on patterns of parasite transmission. The student will conduct fieldwork in Kenya to collect primary data on parasite infection in herbivores, and subsequently analyse the data to explore patterns of livestock-wildlife transmission. The project is linked to HORN, a multi-partner training and research programme focusing on One Health in the Horn of Africa. Confidence in leading fieldwork in Africa (ideally backed up by evidence) and lab experience in fecal egg counts and/or coprocultures would be advantageous but are not essential. Objectives: (1) To quantify the impact of livestock presence on parasite transmission in an African savannah system (2) Use this insight to make recommendations for both conservation management and livestock production.