ZOOL329: Evolutionary Parasitology
Ecological Physiology (Ecophysiology)
, 1 — Welcome to Evolutionary Parasitology
Evolutionary Ecology of Parasites
- parasites perspective
- parasites as living things
- life history, community ecology, coevolution, host-parasite interaction
Overview
- what is parasitism? - origin, adaptations, life-cycles
- secret lives of parasites - transmission, host-exploitation strategies, life history
- parasite host interactions - host traits, host defence, host specificity, co-evolutionary arms race
- ecology of parasitism - interactions between parasites, ecosystem roles of parasites,
parasites in the anthropocene
Blog Post - Due 23rd March
- write blog post summary of a recently published scientific paper (2019 onward)
- about 500 words, 800 max. - written in a style accessible to non-scientist
- exercise in comprehension and public science communication
- concise and accessible
- avoid jargons e.g. intermediate host, vector, virulence
- if necessary, cross-link to other online documents to provide context
o cite them as you would a usual reference
- four steps of writing a blog post
o read the paper
o pick out 3-4 things about it which stand out, the highlights
o distil those highlights into single sentences
o write text which would link those highlights together into a coherent post
Review Essay and Presentation - Due 27th April
- about 1400 words, 2000 max.
- aim: write about a specific parasite genus chosen from a provided list
- literature review on a specific parasite genus
- cover key aspects of the species taxonomy and ecology
- short 10 minutes presentation providing an overview
, - taxonomy
o what is its taxonomic classification?
o how many species have been described?
- life-cycle
o simple or complex?
o how does it get from one host to another?
- host range
o what type of host(s) does it infect?
o is it a specialist that only targets one type of host at a given stage of its life-cycle, or
infects a wide range of hosts?
o does its specificity vary throughout its life-cycle?
o does the specificity vary between species within the genus?
- adaptations
o how does it encounter and infect its host?
o what part of the host’s body does it infect?
o how does it evade/counter the host’s immune system?
o how does it use its host?
o is it known to manipulate the host’s phenotype in some way?
o how does it interact with other parasites/pathogens?
Research Project - Due 25th May
- about 200 words, 2800 max.
- report written in the style and format of a scientific paper
- involves the use of statistical analyses
- approaches
o field or laboratory study
collet samples from a field site for a parasite survey
use commercially supplied parasites for controlled laboratory study
previous research projects included studies on:
mistletoes on trees in a forest
trematode infections in intertidal rocky shore snails
parasites in fish
, entomopathogenic nematodes
o meta-analyses or comparative analyses
meta-analyses = ‘analysis of analyses’
collect data from published parasite surveys in the literature, treating each
as a datapoint - systematic and statistical method of literature review
types of studies
comparing parasite diversity - why do some birds have more
parasites than others
comparing parasite traits - does host body mass determine body size
of parasite copepods
comparing effect size - are aquaculture disease more virulent in tropics
examining trends in scientific fields - have the number of new
parasite species being described decreased over the last 20 years
Practical Manual - Due 31st May
- all tasks must be filled out
2 — What is a Parasite/Parasitism?
Do You Know the Parasite
- capsicoides magnaspinosus – monogenean from the nostrils of the striped marlin
- thyca crystallina – parasitic limpet which parasitise sea stars
- megadenus atrae – parasitic snail that lives in the cloaca of sea cucumbers
- glochida larvae – of freshwater mussels on fish gill
- ismaila belciki – parasitic copepod that lives in and partially castrates nudibranchs
- anelasma squalicola – stalked barnacle that parasites deep water squalid sharks
- ischnochitonika lasalliana – parasitic copepod that infects limpets
Ecological Physiology (Ecophysiology)
, 1 — Welcome to Evolutionary Parasitology
Evolutionary Ecology of Parasites
- parasites perspective
- parasites as living things
- life history, community ecology, coevolution, host-parasite interaction
Overview
- what is parasitism? - origin, adaptations, life-cycles
- secret lives of parasites - transmission, host-exploitation strategies, life history
- parasite host interactions - host traits, host defence, host specificity, co-evolutionary arms race
- ecology of parasitism - interactions between parasites, ecosystem roles of parasites,
parasites in the anthropocene
Blog Post - Due 23rd March
- write blog post summary of a recently published scientific paper (2019 onward)
- about 500 words, 800 max. - written in a style accessible to non-scientist
- exercise in comprehension and public science communication
- concise and accessible
- avoid jargons e.g. intermediate host, vector, virulence
- if necessary, cross-link to other online documents to provide context
o cite them as you would a usual reference
- four steps of writing a blog post
o read the paper
o pick out 3-4 things about it which stand out, the highlights
o distil those highlights into single sentences
o write text which would link those highlights together into a coherent post
Review Essay and Presentation - Due 27th April
- about 1400 words, 2000 max.
- aim: write about a specific parasite genus chosen from a provided list
- literature review on a specific parasite genus
- cover key aspects of the species taxonomy and ecology
- short 10 minutes presentation providing an overview
, - taxonomy
o what is its taxonomic classification?
o how many species have been described?
- life-cycle
o simple or complex?
o how does it get from one host to another?
- host range
o what type of host(s) does it infect?
o is it a specialist that only targets one type of host at a given stage of its life-cycle, or
infects a wide range of hosts?
o does its specificity vary throughout its life-cycle?
o does the specificity vary between species within the genus?
- adaptations
o how does it encounter and infect its host?
o what part of the host’s body does it infect?
o how does it evade/counter the host’s immune system?
o how does it use its host?
o is it known to manipulate the host’s phenotype in some way?
o how does it interact with other parasites/pathogens?
Research Project - Due 25th May
- about 200 words, 2800 max.
- report written in the style and format of a scientific paper
- involves the use of statistical analyses
- approaches
o field or laboratory study
collet samples from a field site for a parasite survey
use commercially supplied parasites for controlled laboratory study
previous research projects included studies on:
mistletoes on trees in a forest
trematode infections in intertidal rocky shore snails
parasites in fish
, entomopathogenic nematodes
o meta-analyses or comparative analyses
meta-analyses = ‘analysis of analyses’
collect data from published parasite surveys in the literature, treating each
as a datapoint - systematic and statistical method of literature review
types of studies
comparing parasite diversity - why do some birds have more
parasites than others
comparing parasite traits - does host body mass determine body size
of parasite copepods
comparing effect size - are aquaculture disease more virulent in tropics
examining trends in scientific fields - have the number of new
parasite species being described decreased over the last 20 years
Practical Manual - Due 31st May
- all tasks must be filled out
2 — What is a Parasite/Parasitism?
Do You Know the Parasite
- capsicoides magnaspinosus – monogenean from the nostrils of the striped marlin
- thyca crystallina – parasitic limpet which parasitise sea stars
- megadenus atrae – parasitic snail that lives in the cloaca of sea cucumbers
- glochida larvae – of freshwater mussels on fish gill
- ismaila belciki – parasitic copepod that lives in and partially castrates nudibranchs
- anelasma squalicola – stalked barnacle that parasites deep water squalid sharks
- ischnochitonika lasalliana – parasitic copepod that infects limpets
