FIVM Series presents: How do shifts from migratory to resident behavior alter animal-pathogen dynamics?

Migratory animals undergo seasonal and often spectacular movements and perform crucial ecosystem services. But because of human activities, many migratory species have now formed resident populations or are migrating shorter distances. Recent studies suggest that resident populations could face greater infection risk than migrants.

On Friday, March 16, Dr. Sonia Altizer will examine how infection dynamics differ between migratory and sedentary populations, and how interactions between migrants and residents affect the population and infection dynamics of linked populations.

Although migration is commonly assumed to enhance pathogen spread, Dr. Altizer will discuss how for many species, migration has the opposite effect of lowering infection risk, if animals escape from habitats where pathogen stages have accumulated, or if strenuous journeys cull infected hosts.   As many migratory species face ongoing declines, it’s vital to understand whether resident populations increase infection risk for migrants, and act as net sources or sinks for migratory populations.

Sonia Altizer, Ph.D., is the UGA Athletic Association Professor of Ecology in the Odum School of Ecology at the University of Georgia. She received her B.Sc. in biology from Duke University in 1992, and completed her Ph.D. in ecology at the University of Minnesota in 1998, followed by postdoctoral work at Princeton and Cornell Universities.

Dr. Altizer has been at the University of Georgia since 2005. Her research interests center on infectious disease ecology and its interface with animal behavior, anthropogenic change, and evolution. Much of her recent work focuses on interactions between monarch butterflies and a protozoan parasite to better the consequences of long-distance migration for animal-pathogen interactions, and host-pathogen evolution. She also collaborates on studies looking at how factors such as seasonality, anthropogenic change, and contact behavior influence the dynamics of pathogens affecting birds, bats, primates, and other wildlife.