How can we explore the ecology and behavior of arthropods as disease vectors?
My research focuses on the ecology and behavior of medically-important arthropods, and the ecology of vector-borne disease. Underlying these efforts is an attempt to understand parameters which influence the capacity of arthropods to transmit disease agents. Study systems for these efforts are Lyme disease in the upper peninsula of Michigan, eastern equine encephalitis in southern Michigan, mosquito-borne filariasis in the Philippines, and malaria and mosquitoes in Malawi. Feeding ecology and microbial interactions of mosquito larvae form another line of research. The aims of this research are to identify larval mosquito food, to characterize nutrients in the larval habitat, to eludicate microbial communities in larval habitats, and to study efficacy and persistence of genetically-altered bacteria.
