Sedgwick Reserve

06 Jul, 06 AM - 26 Jul, 01 AM

Parasitism is the most common consumer strategy among organisms, yet we remain largely ignorant of the impact parasites have on ecology and evolution. A recent study that quantified the total biomass in three estuarine systems found that parasite biomass exceeded the biomass of top predators within the system. As biologists begin to put parasites into an ecological and evolutionary context, fundamental questions arise regarding the way they interact with the world. Do parasites follow the same ecological rules as other organisms? How do parasites affect other trophic levels? How do these interactions shape the evolution of species and ecological communities and to what degree does the evolution of parasite communities reflect the evolutionary history of their hosts? The broad goal of this study is to gain a better understanding of how insular parasite communities form, how they differ from their mainland counterparts, and how their evolutionary histories are influenced by (or may reflect) that of their hosts. To achieve this, I will sample deer mouse (Peromyscus maniculatus) populations on the California Channel Islands and at Sedgwick Reserve and perform a comprehensive survey of the metazoan parasite communities associated with these mice on each island and the nearby mainland. The data will be used to test for non-random assemblages of parasites and to explore the colonization history of the parasites and their host across the Channel Islands.

Visit #22050 @Sedgwick Reserve

Approved

Under Project # 22076 | Research

Parasites of Deer Mice

graduate_student - Duke University

Reservation Members(s)

Paul Durst Jul 6 - 26, 2010 (21 days)
Paul Durst Jul 6 - 26, 2010 (21 days)

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Ranch House Not Available 2 Jul 6 - 26, 2010