NSF Postdoctoral Fellowship in Biology FY 2020: Investigating Feedbacks Between Guppy Host Behavior and Gyrodactylid Parasite Evolution

Walsman, Jason, Bloomington IN

Investigators

Abstract

This action funds an NSF Postdoctoral Research Fellowship in Biology for FY 2020, Integrative Research Investigating the Rules of Life Governing Interactions Between Genomes, Environment and Phenotypes. The fellowship supports research and training of the fellow that will contribute to the area of Rules of Life in innovative ways. This research investigates the interactions between animal social behavior and parasite adaptation. When animals socially interact often, parasites (such as viruses or worms) transmit between animal hosts more easily. Faster transmission may lead parasites to change and become deadlier to hosts. In turn, animals may behaviorally avoid infected individuals, reducing the spread of deadly parasitic infections. This research tests how host behavior and parasite evolution interact using mathematical models and laboratory experiments with a fish host and worm parasite. The results of this research may prove important for fish aquaculture where the worm parasite annually causes a great deal of economic damage. Further, this research addresses fundamental scientific questions of how host behavior interacts with parasite evolution. Answers to these questions are important for the health of many species, including humans. Students at multiple academic levels will participate in this research. Particularly, the fellow will train high school students from underrepresented groups in the Pittsburgh area to help with the research. This valuable research experience and the fellow’s mentoring will improve students’ prospects for college admissions. This research advances theoretical and empirical understanding of the interactions of host contact behavior and parasite evolution. The co-sponsor will train the fellow in mathematical theory. Specifically, theoretical models will link the individual host-level course of infection to the population-level epidemic dynamics, an emerging area of epidemiological theory. This framework will predict the interactions of plastic host contact behavior and parasite deadliness (virulence) evolution. The sponsor will train the fellow in empirical work with Trindadian guppies and their flatworm (gyrodactylid) parasites. This system is particularly suitable since guppies alter their social behavior to avoid other guppies infected with flatworms. In addition, flatworm numbers on individual guppies can be measured non-invasively to track the individual-host course of infection in addition to population-level epidemics. The researchers predict that more social contact between hosts will select for deadlier parasites. In turn, deadlier parasites should cause a greater host response to decrease social contact. These interactions are hypothesized to lead to cycling of host social behavior and parasite evolution. As part of this work the fellow will train undergraduate and high school students in research. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.