Kyle Gustafson, Ph.D. student. Major advisor: Matthew Bolek. Evolution of Host-Parasite Systems, Parasites Transmission, Population Ecology.   M.S. Biology, University of North Dakota. Email: kyle.gustafson@okstate.edu Personal website: www.kylegustafson.org

Specific Interests

I have broad interests in ecology, conservation biology, parasitology, and genetics. My dissertation focuses on the environmental conditions that determine the abundance and distribution of parasite populations. Currently, I combine field studies and laboratory experiments to understand the effects of anthropogenic disturbances on parasites transmission in wetland ecosystems. My field component is designed to test the effects of pesticides and human land use on the distribution and prevalence of parasites in snails, which are the primary transmitters of infective trematodes (i.e., cercariae). My laboratory component is designed to test the effects of pesticides on cercariae production (i.e., abundance and biomass). By integrating these approaches, I can model the effects of pesticides on parasite production in aquatic environments.

Publications

• Gustafson, K.D., and R.A. Newman. 2010. Amphibian population trends on the Sheyenne National Grasslands. Annual Report submitted on January 22, 2010 to USDA Forest Service, Dakota Prairie National Grasslands. p. 1-49
• Gustafson, K.D., Newman, R.A., Pulis, E.E., and K.C. Cabarle. In Revision. A skeletochronological assessment of age-parasitism relationships in Wood Frogs (Lithobates sylvaticus). Journal of Herpetology.