{"id":531,"date":"2018-08-22T09:35:40","date_gmt":"2018-08-22T16:35:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.sandiego.edu\/flemingdavies\/?page_id=531"},"modified":"2018-08-22T10:25:00","modified_gmt":"2018-08-22T17:25:00","slug":"ecology-research-projects","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/sites.sandiego.edu\/flemingdavies\/ecology\/ecology-research-projects\/","title":{"rendered":"Ecology research projects"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"

Photo: Edward Rooks, via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0<\/p><\/div>\n

My research focuses broadly on how variation contributes to population and community ecology, and how interspecific interactions affect ecological and evolutionary processes at larger scales.\u00a0\u00a0 My work uses both field experiments and mathematical\/computing tools to extrapolate interactions such as host-pathogen interactions and mutualism to larger contexts such as population and community dynamics and evolutionary change.<\/p>\n

Previous projects include a postdoc with Greg Dwyer at the University of Chicago, and my PhD work with Bill Morris at Duke University.\u00a0 Current ecology research collaborations include a project on evolution of virulence with Dana Hawley at Virginia Tech.\u00a0 See below for some current and prior projects.<\/p>\n

Disease ecology<\/h3>\n

Processes maintaining diversity in an insect viral pathogen<\/b><\/h3>\n

I used a combination of field experiments and differential equation models to understand what maintains diversity in a pathogen that infects gypsy moth (Lymantria dispar<\/i>) larvae.\u00a0 Phenotypic variation is common in most pathogens, yet the mechanisms that maintain this diversity are still poorly understood.\u00a0 We found evidence that host heterogeneity in susceptibility may help maintain coexistence of multiple pathogen strains by introducing two alternate strategies for the pathogen: a low-transmission, low-variability strain is able to coexist with the high-transmission type favored by classical non-heterogeneity models.<\/p>\n

In the same system, we found evidence of a cost of virulence in the overwinter environmental transmission that might also help maintain pathogen polymorphism.\u00a0 This cost could impose an upper limit to virulence even in a highly virulent pathogen<\/p>\n

This work was conducted in collaboration with my previous postdoctoral advisor, Greg Dwyer.<\/p>\n

For more details, see: <\/b><\/i>
\n<\/b><\/i>
\nFleming-Davies, Arietta E<\/b>., Vanja Dukic, Viggo Andreasen, and Greg Dwyer. 2015. Effects of host heterogeneity on pathogen diversity and evolution<\/a>. Ecology Letters<\/i>, 18:1252-1261.<\/p>\n

Fleming-Davies, Arietta E.<\/b> and Greg Dwyer. 2015. Phenotypic variation in environmental persistence of a baculovirus and the cost of virulence.<\/a> The American Naturalist<\/i>, 186:797-806.<\/b><\/p>\n

\n

Host-pathogen coevolution <\/b><\/h3>\n
\n
\"\"<\/a>

Photo by B. Brachi<\/p><\/div>\n

Phenotypic variation in a pathogen is closely tied to host-pathogen coevolution. I recently worked with a colleague, David Paez, to look at how exposure to different virus doses and isolates influences the life history of the gypsy moth.\u00a0 I am currently working on a project to model within-host dynamics of the gypsy moth virus and host immune with partially observed Markov process models, in order to ask to what extent stochasticity in within-host processes leads to variation in pathogen and host fitness. Our work on host-pathogen coevolution also led to an independent project for an undergraduate student on detecting genotype by genotype interactions between host and pathogen in this system<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

This work was conducted in collaboration with my previous postdoctoral advisor, Greg Dwyer.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

For more details, see:<\/b><\/i><\/p>\n

Paez, David J.*<\/b>, Arietta E. Fleming-Davies*<\/b>, and Greg Dwyer. 2015. Effects of pathogen exposure on life-history variation in the gypsy moth (Lymantria dispar<\/i>)<\/a>.
\nJournal of Evolutionary Biology, 28: 18281839.
\n*equally contributing authors<\/b><\/i><\/p>\n

Hudson, Asher.*<\/b>, Arietta E. Fleming-Davies<\/b>, David J. Paez and Greg Dwyer.\u00a0 Genotype by genotype interactions between an insect and its pathogen<\/a>. Accepted, Journal of Evolutionary Biology.
\n*undergraduate mentee<\/b><\/i><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

Evolution of virulence in an emerging pathogen
\n<\/b><\/h3>\n
\n
\"\"<\/a>

Photo by D. Hawley<\/p><\/div>\n

I am currently collaborating with Dana Hawley at Virginia Tech on a project modeling evolution of virulence in her house finch-mycoplasma system.\u00a0 We are using experimental data from her house finch-mycoplasma system to model how repeated exposure to mycoplasma on bird feeders could contribute to the evolution of virulence in this emerging pathogen.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

 <\/p>\n

For more details, see:<\/b><\/i><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Fleming-Davies, Arietta E.<\/strong>*, Paul D. Williams*, Andr\u00e9 A. Dhondt, Andrew P. Dobson, Wesley M. Hochachka, Ariel E. Leon, David H. Ley, Erik E. Osnas, and Dana M. Hawley. 2018. Incomplete host immunity favors the evolution of virulence in an emergent pathogen<\/a>. Science,<\/i> 359: 1030-1033.
\n*equally contributing authors<\/b><\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

My research focuses broadly on how variation contributes to population and community ecology, and how interspecific interactions affect ecological and evolutionary processes at larger scales.\u00a0\u00a0 My work uses both field experiments and mathematical\/computing tools to extrapolate interactions such as host-pathogen Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":705,"featured_media":0,"parent":94,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"page-fullwidth.php","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-531","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"yoast_head":"\nEcology research projects - Fleming-Davies Lab<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/sites.sandiego.edu\/flemingdavies\/ecology\/ecology-research-projects\/\" class=\"yoast-seo-meta-tag\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" class=\"yoast-seo-meta-tag\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" class=\"yoast-seo-meta-tag\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Ecology research projects - 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