Janet Koprivnikar (Principal Investigator)
I am interested in the ecology of host-parasite interactions. This includes the ways in which hosts resist and tolerate parasite infections, and how these are affected by their environment. Many factors influence parasitism, from biodiversity to contaminants, and hosts have various means by which to defend themselves against parasites. The importance of parasites to host populations, communities, and ecosystems are also critical to understand in order to make predictions related to altered ecological conditions. I primarily work in aquatic systems (freshwater and marine) but also welcome ideas involving terrestrial hosts and parasites.
Current Lab personnel
Graduate students
Rachel Goldberg (PhD)
I am interested in understanding the composition of trematode (parasitic flatworm) communities and how they change across space and time. From a spatial perspective, I am exploring infection patterns and movement of intertidal snails among microhabitats as well as using a comparative analysis to determine whether key transmission-related traits of trematode infectious stages vary among sites with different climates. From a temporal perspective, I am examining snail and trematode community changes over both short and long time scales in local ponds. Overall, my work will help us to better understand spatiotemporal variation in parasite and host communities, as well as possible influences driving these, to better predict how environmental changes can affect infectious disease dynamics and inform the use of parasites as bioindicators.
Tim Smith (PhD)
Tim is studying behavioural and chemical defences used by insects against parasitic fungi and nematodes, as well as considering insect host traits that may make them more prone to infection by different kinds of parasites and pathogens.
