A5007162915- Animal Disease Management and Epidemiology
- Wildlife Ecology and Conservation
- Zoonotic diseases and public health
- Viral Infections and Vectors
- Virology and Viral Diseases
- Forest Ecology and Biodiversity Studies
- Microbial infections and disease research
- Evolution and Genetic Dynamics
- Species Distribution and Climate Change
- Vector-Borne Animal Diseases
- Ecology and Vegetation Dynamics Studies
- HIV Research and Treatment
- Animal Virus Infections Studies
- Gut microbiota and health
- SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19 Research
- Genomics and Phylogenetic Studies
- Plant Virus Research Studies
- COVID-19 epidemiological studies
- Genetic diversity and population structure
- Genetic and phenotypic traits in livestock
- Yersinia bacterium, plague, ectoparasites research
- Environmental DNA in Biodiversity Studies
- Lichen and fungal ecology
- Bird parasitology and diseases
- Parasite Biology and Host Interactions
University of Tasmania
2014-2024
University of Minnesota
2017-2024
Royal Hobart Hospital
2022-2024
Colorado State University
2021-2024
University of Minnesota System
2018-2021
University of Warwick
2021
Colorado Parks and Wildlife
2021
1. New logical and analytical frameworks for studying functional traits have led to major advances in plant freshwater ecology at local global scales. The ecological taxonomic diversity of terrestrial adult beetles ( C oleoptera) means that trait approaches should considerable power illuminate the function not only these animals but also ecosystems which they occur. 2. Even though concept is new ecology, it still plagued with inconsistencies methodology terminology. Plant‐based studies shown...
IntroductionContinued SARS-CoV-2 infection among immunocompromised individuals is likely to play a role in generating genomic diversity and the emergence of novel variants. Antiviral treatments such as molnupiravir are used mitigate severe COVID-19 outcomes, but extended effects these drugs on viral evolution patients with chronic infections remain uncertain. This study investigates how affects prolonged infections.MethodsThe included five treated four not (two two non-immunocompromised). We...
ABSTRACT Identifying patterns and drivers of infectious disease dynamics across multiple scales is a fundamental challenge for modern science. There growing awareness that it necessary to incorporate multi‐host and/or multi‐parasite interactions understand predict current future threats better, new tools are needed help address this task. Eco‐phylogenetics (phylogenetic community ecology) provides one avenue exploring systems, yet the incorporation eco‐phylogenetic concepts methods into...
Abstract The outbreak and transmission of disease-causing pathogens are contributing to the unprecedented rate biodiversity decline. Recent advances in genomics have coalesced into powerful tools monitor, detect, reconstruct role impacting wildlife populations. Wildlife researchers thus uniquely positioned merge ecological evolutionary studies with genomic technologies exploit “Big Data” disease research; however, many lack training expertise required use these computationally intensive...
Abstract Urban expansion has widespread impacts on wildlife species globally, including the transmission and emergence of infectious diseases. However, there is almost no information about how urban landscapes shape dynamics in wildlife. Using an innovative phylodynamic approach combining host pathogen molecular data with landscape characteristics traits, we untangle complex factors that drive networks feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) bobcats ( Lynx rufus ). We found played a significant...
Abstract Large carnivores of the genus Panthera can pose serious threats to public safety. Although annual number attacks on humans is rare compared livestock depredation, such incidents undermine popular support for wildlife conservation and require immediate responses protect human life. We used a space–time scan method perform novel spatiotemporal analysis 908 by lions, leopards, tigers estimate risks further in same locales. found that substantial proportion were clustered time space,...
Abstract Predicting infectious disease dynamics is a central challenge in ecology. Models that can assess which individuals are most at risk of being exposed to pathogen not only provide valuable insights into transmission and but also guide management interventions. Constructing such models for wild animal populations, however, particularly challenging; often serological data available on subset nonlinear relationships between variables common. Here we the latest advances statistical...
Wildlife are important reservoirs for many pathogens, yet the role that different species play in pathogen maintenance frequently remains unknown. This is case rabies, a viral disease of mammals. While Carnivora (carnivores) and Chiroptera (bats) canonical mammalian orders known to be responsible onward transmission rabies Lyssavirus (RABV), most within these unknown continually changing as result contemporary host shifting. We combined trait-based analytical approach with gradient boosting...
Abstract Bluetongue virus (BTV) epidemics are responsible for worldwide economic losses of up to US$ 3 billion. Understanding the global evolutionary epidemiology BTV is critical in designing intervention programs. Here we employed phylodynamic models quantify characteristics, spatiotemporal origins, and multi-host transmission dynamics across globe. We inferred that goats ancestral hosts but less likely be important cross-species transmission, sheep cattle continue maintenance infection...
Urban expansion can fundamentally alter wildlife movement and gene flow, but how urbanization alters pathogen spread is poorly understood. Here, we combine high resolution host viral genomic data with landscape variables to examine the context of in puma (Puma concolor) from two contrasting regions: one bounded by wildland urban interface (WUI) unbounded minimal anthropogenic development (UB). We found flow explained significant amounts variation feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) WUI, not...
In increasingly fragmented landscapes, it is important to understand how mature forest affects adjacent secondary (forest influence). Forest influence on ecological succession of beetle communities largely unknown. We investigated and using 235 m long transects across boundaries between at 15 sites, sampling a chronosequence three age classes (5-10, 23- 29, 42-46 years since clear-cutting) in tall eucalypt Tasmania, Australia. Our results showed that ground-dwelling strong successional...
Apex predators are important indicators of intact natural ecosystems. They also sensitive to urbanization because they require broad home ranges and extensive contiguous habitat support their prey base. Pumas (Puma concolor) can persist near human developed areas, but may be detrimental movement ecology, population structure, genetic diversity. To investigate potential effects in connectivity pumas, we performed a landscape genomics study 130 pumas on the rural Western Slope more urbanized...
Debilitating skin infestations caused by the mite, Sarcoptes scabiei, have a profound impact on human and animal health globally. In Australia, this is evident across different segments of Australian society, with growing recognition that it can contribute to rapid declines native marsupials. Cross-host transmission has been suggested play significant role in epidemiology origin mite species but chronic lack genetic resources made further inferences difficult. To investigate origins...
The most remarkable feature of our planet is the diversity its life forms, ranging from viruses and nanobacteria to blue whales giant sequoias satanic leaf-tailed geckos leafy seadragons (look them up!). Life found in essentially all environments on earth, number species living many times greater than we could have imagined a century ago. A well-regarded estimate pegs eukaryotic earth at 8.7 million (±1.3 million), which fewer 15% are currently described (Mora et al., 2011). prokaryotes less...
Since spilling over into humans, SARS-CoV-2 has rapidly spread across the globe, accumulating significant genetic diversity. The structure of this diversity and whether it reveals epidemiological insights are fundamental questions for understanding evolutionary trajectory virus. Here, we use a recently developed phylodynamic approach to uncover phylogenetic structures underlying pandemic. We find support three lineages co-circulating, each with significantly different demographic dynamics...
Untangling how factors such as environment, host, associations among bacterial species and dispersal predict microbial composition is a fundamental challenge. In this study, we use complementary machine-learning approaches to quantify the relative role of these in shaping microbiome variation blacklegged tick Ixodes scapularis. I. scapularis most important vector for Borrelia burgdorferi (the causative agent Lyme disease) U.S. well range other zoonotic pathogens. Yet interactions between...
Abstract The study of microbiomes across organisms and environments has become a prominent focus in molecular ecology. This perspective article explores common challenges, methodological advancements, future directions the field. Key research areas include understanding drivers microbiome community assembly, linking composition to host genetics, exploring microbial functions, transience spatial partitioning, disentangling non‐bacterial components microbiome. Methodological such as...
Abstract Apex predators are important indicators of intact natural ecosystems. They also sensitive to urbanization because they require broad home ranges and extensive contiguous habitat support their prey base. Pumas ( Puma concolor ) can persist near human developed areas, but may be detrimental movement ecology, population structure, genetic diversity. To investigate potential effects in connectivity pumas, we performed a landscape genomics study 134 pumas on the rural Western Slope more...
Microbial communities are increasingly recognized as crucial for animal health. However, our understanding of how microbial structured across wildlife populations is poor. Mechanisms such interspecific associations important in structuring free-living communities, but we still lack an gut comparison with other factors host characteristics or spatial proximity hosts. Here, ask a population North American moose Alces alces. We identify key within the and quantify they relative to...
The outcome of pathogen spillover from a reservoir to novel host population can range "dead-end" when there is no onward transmission in the recipient population, epidemic spread and even establishment new hosts. Understanding evolutionary epidemiology events leading discrete outcomes hosts key predicting risk lead better understanding mechanisms emergence. Here we use Bayesian phylodynamic approach examine cross-species dynamics during canine distemper virus (CDV) event causing clinical...
Abstract Heterogeneity within pathogen species can have important consequences for how pathogens transmit across landscapes; however, discerning different transmission routes is challenging. Here, we apply both phylodynamic and phylogenetic community ecology techniques to examine the of heterogeneity on by assessing subtype‐specific pathways in a social carnivore. We use comprehensive spatial network data three subtypes feline immunodeficiency virus ( FIV Ple ) African lions P anthera leo at...