Conservation of Darwin's finches
One of my most rewarding projects involves applied conservation of Darwin’s finches in the Galapagos. The recent introduction of a parasitic nest fly Philornis downsi to the Galapagos Islands has had devastating effects on nestling survival of Darwin’s finches. Thus, controlling the fly is currently a top priority for the Galapagos National Park. I have been testing novel method of controlling P. downsi that allows birds to self-fumigate their own nests. This work potentially has major implication for the conservation of highly endangered finches that are parasitized by P. downsi.
Effects of an introduced parasite on endemic birds
in the Galapagos
The focus of my dissertation is to understand the effects of an introduced parasitic nest fly Philornis downsi on different hosts in the Galapagos Islands. I am particularly interested in how different hosts defend themselves against P. downsi and the consequences of these defenses on host fitness.
Effects of native nest flies on bird hosts in Tobago
Hosts that have long-standing relationships with their parasites have probably evolved defense mechanisms to deal with the parasites. I'm interested in the effects of native Philornis nest flies on black-faced grassquits and tropical mockingbirds in Tobago. Both species are phylogenetically related and similar ecologically to their congeners in the Galapagos (i.e. Darwin’s finches and Galapagos mockingbirds). These systems present the opportunity to compare tolerance and resistance defense mechanisms within novel and long-standing host-parasite relationships.
Philippines Biodiversity Survey
In the summer of 2010, I joined a collaborative project between the University of Utah and the University of Kansas to survey vertebrates and their parasites in the Philippines. We focused on several locations throughout the island of Luzon. One of the objectives of this multi-year project is to understand how the loss of biodiversity of vertebrate hosts may reflect on their parasites.
Malaria and Rock Pigeons
Avian malaria is often found at lower infection intensities in older birds than younger birds. One explanation of this pattern is that younger birds are removed from the population before reaching adulthood, thus removing the highest infection intensities from the population. We tested this hypothesis by experimentally manipulating parasite intensity of Haemoproteus columbae, a malaria parasite, and examining the impact of the parasite on the development and survival of free-living nestling and fledgling rock pigeons (Columba livia). The field component is a piece of a larger project investigating host-parasite interactions, through laboratory experiments, between rock pigeons, a hippoboscid fly (Pseudolynchia canariensis), and Haemoproteus columbae by fellow graduate student, Jessi Waite. This work was published in Evolutionary Ecology.
One of my most rewarding projects involves applied conservation of Darwin’s finches in the Galapagos. The recent introduction of a parasitic nest fly Philornis downsi to the Galapagos Islands has had devastating effects on nestling survival of Darwin’s finches. Thus, controlling the fly is currently a top priority for the Galapagos National Park. I have been testing novel method of controlling P. downsi that allows birds to self-fumigate their own nests. This work potentially has major implication for the conservation of highly endangered finches that are parasitized by P. downsi.
Effects of an introduced parasite on endemic birds
in the Galapagos
The focus of my dissertation is to understand the effects of an introduced parasitic nest fly Philornis downsi on different hosts in the Galapagos Islands. I am particularly interested in how different hosts defend themselves against P. downsi and the consequences of these defenses on host fitness.
Effects of native nest flies on bird hosts in Tobago
Hosts that have long-standing relationships with their parasites have probably evolved defense mechanisms to deal with the parasites. I'm interested in the effects of native Philornis nest flies on black-faced grassquits and tropical mockingbirds in Tobago. Both species are phylogenetically related and similar ecologically to their congeners in the Galapagos (i.e. Darwin’s finches and Galapagos mockingbirds). These systems present the opportunity to compare tolerance and resistance defense mechanisms within novel and long-standing host-parasite relationships.
Philippines Biodiversity Survey
In the summer of 2010, I joined a collaborative project between the University of Utah and the University of Kansas to survey vertebrates and their parasites in the Philippines. We focused on several locations throughout the island of Luzon. One of the objectives of this multi-year project is to understand how the loss of biodiversity of vertebrate hosts may reflect on their parasites.
Malaria and Rock Pigeons
Avian malaria is often found at lower infection intensities in older birds than younger birds. One explanation of this pattern is that younger birds are removed from the population before reaching adulthood, thus removing the highest infection intensities from the population. We tested this hypothesis by experimentally manipulating parasite intensity of Haemoproteus columbae, a malaria parasite, and examining the impact of the parasite on the development and survival of free-living nestling and fledgling rock pigeons (Columba livia). The field component is a piece of a larger project investigating host-parasite interactions, through laboratory experiments, between rock pigeons, a hippoboscid fly (Pseudolynchia canariensis), and Haemoproteus columbae by fellow graduate student, Jessi Waite. This work was published in Evolutionary Ecology.