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The Ecology And Feeding Behavior Of Mosquitoes In The Galapagos Islands, Samoa S. Asigau
The Ecology And Feeding Behavior Of Mosquitoes In The Galapagos Islands, Samoa S. Asigau
Dissertations
Mosquitoes remain important vectors in transmitting wildlife diseases. This dissertation aims to understand the role that mosquitoes play in transmitting wildlife diseases such as avian malaria, a protozoan parasite belonging to the genus Plasmodium. Using data from wild-caught mosquitoes captured in multiple years and across multiple islands on the Galapagos Archipelago, we describe distributional patterns of mosquitoes, their range limits and assess whether there exists a disease-free refuge as occurs in Hawaii. We show that altitudinal ranges for disease transmission of avian malaria may not be bounded by a stable disease-free refuge, since mosquitoes are found at all elevations, …
Haemosporidian Parasites And Host Immune Function Of Galapagos Avifauna, Maricruz Jaramillo
Haemosporidian Parasites And Host Immune Function Of Galapagos Avifauna, Maricruz Jaramillo
Dissertations
The large number of emergent infectious diseases witnessed in the past few decades has increased interest in the ecology and distribution of potentially threatening pathogens worldwide. Island species are often considered more vulnerable to parasites due to their impoverished parasite communities, long isolation from disease and low genetic diversity. Avian surveys done by our group on the Galapagos Islands have found various pathogens infecting their endemic avifauna, including haemosporidian parasites of the genera Plasmodium and Haemoproteus. My research seeks to understand the relationships between two haemosporidian parasites (blood parasites) and their multiple bird hosts in Galapagos and to explore …
Host-Parasite Interactions In Galapagos Seabirds, Iris Ilena Levin
Host-Parasite Interactions In Galapagos Seabirds, Iris Ilena Levin
Dissertations
Parasites exhibit a wide range of life history strategies that contribute to different dispersal abilities, host specialization, transmission modes, life-cycle complexity and population structure. Understanding dispersal rates in hosts and parasites is instrumental in defining the scale at which coevolution may be occurring. In order to better understand how and when parasites move between different hosts, I studied a seabird – Hippoboscid fly ectoparasite (and vector) – Haemosporidian parasite system in the Galapagos Islands. I began by describing the Haemosporidian parasites of Galapagos seabirds, discovering a Plasmodium species parasite in Galapagos Penguins (Sphensicus mendiculus), and a new clade of Hippoboscid-vectored …
Population Genetics Of Island Endemics: Neutral And Major Histocompatibility Loci, Jennifer Lynn Bollmer
Population Genetics Of Island Endemics: Neutral And Major Histocompatibility Loci, Jennifer Lynn Bollmer
Dissertations
Island archipelagoes are ideal for the study of microevolutionary forces due to their multiple, closely related but geographically disjunct populations. I used both neutral and major histocompatibility complex (MHC) loci to determine the population genetic structures of bird species endemic to the Galapagos Islands. MHC molecules recognize foreign pathogens in the body, and these loci are known for their high degree of genetic variability maintained by natural selection. Small island populations are predicted to have reduced genetic variability due to the effects of genetic drift; however, selection may be strong enough to prevent the loss of variability at MHC loci. …