Do tolerant hosts increase the risk of invasive parasites to non-tolerant hosts?
Philornis downsi is an parasitic nest fly that feeds on avian blood in the larval stage and is invasive to the Galapagos Islands. Darwin's finches are being decimated by the flies while Galapagos mockingbirds are not facing the same fitness consequences. By understanding more about the transmission dynamics of P. downsi and the interactions between tolerant and non-tolerant hosts, I hope to inform conservation efforts on how to best deal with parasites and pathogens that threaten biodiversity. For more information, visit http://darwin.biology.utah.edu/GalapagosX.html |
Publications
2. Bush S.E., Waller M.M., Herman J.M., Hobbs K.S., Clayton A.R., Watson J.L., Oleyar M.D. Clayton D.H. 2023. Birds groom more in regions with higher parasite pressure: a comparison of temperate and subtropical American kestrels. Animal Behaviour 201 pp. 125-135 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anbehav.2023.04.015
1. Duggan M.T., Groleau M.F., Shealy E.P., Self L.S., Utter T.E., Waller M.M., Hall B.C., Stone C.G., Anderson L.L., Mousseau T.A.. 2021. An approach to rapid processing of camera trap images with minimal human input. Ecology and Evolution. 11(17) pp. 12051-12063. https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.7970
1. Duggan M.T., Groleau M.F., Shealy E.P., Self L.S., Utter T.E., Waller M.M., Hall B.C., Stone C.G., Anderson L.L., Mousseau T.A.. 2021. An approach to rapid processing of camera trap images with minimal human input. Ecology and Evolution. 11(17) pp. 12051-12063. https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.7970