Research: Insect movement and its consequences.
How does the movement of insect vectors shape the spread of vector-borne diseases? How does insect pollinator movement affect crop yield?
Many insects are vectors of disease, transmitting pathogens as they feed on plants and animals. However, little is known about how how the movement and foraging decisions made by vectors affects pathogen spread and disease risk. This research integrates cutting edge models of vector behavior with manipulative experiments to understand the role of insect behavior in mediating infectious disease risk and to quantify how incorporating behavioral detail of vectors improves the predictions of how vectored pathogens respond to environmental change.
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NIMBioS Working Group: Vector Movement and Disease
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For pathogens that are moved between hosts by vectors, the movement and behavior of vectors can drive whether and how the pathogens spread. As part of a NIMBioS working group (2015-2017), we explored what impact vector movement has on plant pathogen spread. We also explored the impact of different aspects of vector movement behavior in an NSF IOS grant (2016-2020) in collaboration with Eric Seabloom and Elizabeth Borer. |
The movement of insect pollinators has consequences for pollination patterns and thus crop yields in agriculture. As part of a working group with researchers from New Zealand Plant and Food Research, we built a set of models to predict how fruit yield varies with different plant and insect characteristics, in order to guide agricultural management decisions. |
Working group on insect movement and pollination.
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Relevant papers
Strauss AT, Henning JA, Porath-Krause A, Asmus AL, Shaw AK, Borer ET, Seabloom EW (2020) "Vector demography, dispersal, and the spatial spread of disease: Experimental epidemics under elevated resource supply." Functional Ecology 34: 2560–2570.
Peace A, Pattemore D, Broussard M, Fonseka D, Tomer N, Bosque-Pérez NA, Crowder D, Shaw AK, Jesson L, Howlett B, Jochym M, Li J (2020) "Orchard layout and plant traits influence fruit yield more strongly than pollinator behaviour and density in a dioecious crop." PLoS ONE 15(10): e0231120.
Shoemaker LG, Hayhurst E, Weiss-Lehman C, Strauss AT, Porath-Krause A, Borer E, Seabloom E, Shaw AK (2019) "Pathogens manipulate the preference of vectors, slowing disease spread in a multi-host system" Ecology Letters 22 (7): 1115-1125.
Shaw AK, Igoe M, Power AG, Bosque-Pérez NA, Peace A (2019) "Modeling approach influences dynamics of a vector-borne pathogen system." Bulletin of Mathematical Biology 81(6): 2011–2028.
Shaw AK, Peace A, Power AG, Bosque-Pérez NA (2017) "Vector population growth and condition-dependent movement drive the spread of plant pathogens." Ecology 98(8): 2145–2157.
Peace A, Pattemore D, Broussard M, Fonseka D, Tomer N, Bosque-Pérez NA, Crowder D, Shaw AK, Jesson L, Howlett B, Jochym M, Li J (2020) "Orchard layout and plant traits influence fruit yield more strongly than pollinator behaviour and density in a dioecious crop." PLoS ONE 15(10): e0231120.
Shoemaker LG, Hayhurst E, Weiss-Lehman C, Strauss AT, Porath-Krause A, Borer E, Seabloom E, Shaw AK (2019) "Pathogens manipulate the preference of vectors, slowing disease spread in a multi-host system" Ecology Letters 22 (7): 1115-1125.
Shaw AK, Igoe M, Power AG, Bosque-Pérez NA, Peace A (2019) "Modeling approach influences dynamics of a vector-borne pathogen system." Bulletin of Mathematical Biology 81(6): 2011–2028.
Shaw AK, Peace A, Power AG, Bosque-Pérez NA (2017) "Vector population growth and condition-dependent movement drive the spread of plant pathogens." Ecology 98(8): 2145–2157.