Ecological importance of trematode parasites in intertidal communities
The relationship between an organism and its environment is the central question of ecology, and perhaps for no other organism this interaction is more fascinating, at least in my opinion, than it is for parasites. Parasitism is one of the most common ecological strategies and has evolved separately many times in different taxa, taking many different forms. However, many aspects of parasite ecology remain unknown.
As a marine biologist, I am naturally especially interested in the role of macroparasites in marine communities. I had to choose a suitable study system, and I ended up choosing to focus on trematodes, which are a type of flatworm. These are very common parasites, including in marine systems. They have several different stages that parasitize different organisms and also have free living stages that interact with the marine environment directly, so there are opportunities to explore a wide variety of ecological questions. The 4 main questions I am focusing on in my dissertation are:
Variety of intertidal habitats in the Cape Cod area
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My field and experimental work will be conducted in the Cape Cod area and based in the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole. Historically, this region has been well studied, however, the parasite diversity and abundance in this area has not been reviewed since the 80s and requires an update, especially in the face of growing anthropogenic pressure and climate change. Additionally Cape Cod is a biogeographic boundary, where the range of many organisms, both from the colder northern waters and the warmer tropical waters, meet, forming a spike in biodiversity. Therefore, it is an especially interesting area to investigate community interactions and environmental effects. I plan to investigate various aspects of the ecology trematode parasites in intertidal communities. I will investigate the factors that determine infection rates in gastropod hosts, look into the effect the parasites can have on the feeding behavior of keystone predator snail species, assess the genetic structure of the parasites and hosts and how it corresponds with each other, and try to look at what stable isotope levels can tell us about the role of parasites as a food resource in the intertidal community. |