Capacity for Local Adaptation to Disease in Holarctic Species

了解野生动物疾病的维持和传播机制具有实际意义，因为它们与人类、野生动物和生态系统健康(例如最近的埃博拉疫情)相互关联。我的研究将调查宿主和病原体之间的相互作用，以及跨景观的中性和功能性遗传变异，以了解疾病传播的模式和宿主群体适应疾病的能力。北极狂犬病(AR)提供了一个模式系统，以了解北方物种对气候变化对AR动态产生显著影响的疾病模式的快速变化的反应能力。AR系统包括多个宿主，其疾病易感性和临时性疾病暴露的模式截然不同，这使得测试关于AR与其宿主的遗传相互作用的假设成为可能。此外，该系统还显示了疾病在其环极分布的局部化和传播方面的对比。这项研究将加深我们对野生动物疾病传播机制的理解，并有可能帮助减轻野生动物疾病对人类和野生动物健康的负面影响。

Understanding mechanisms of wildlife disease maintenance and spread are of practical importance as they interrelate to human, wildlife and ecosystem health (e.g., recent Ebola outbreak). My research will investigate interactions between host and pathogen neutral and functional genetic variation across landscapes to understand patterns of disease spread and the capacity for host populations to adapt to disease. Arctic rabies (AR) provides a model system to understand the capacity for northern species to respond to rapid changes in disease patterns where climatic changes are having a pronounced effect on the dynamics of AR. The AR system includes multiple hosts with contrasting patterns of disease susceptibility and temporal disease exposure, making it possible to test hypotheses regarding the genetic interactions of AR with its hosts. Further, this system presents contrasts in the localization and spread of disease across its circumpolar distribution. This research will enhance our understanding mechanisms of wildlife disease spread and has the potential to help mitigate negative human and wildlife health impacts from wildlife disease.