Andrea Swei
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View article: Large-scale surveys of woodrats ( <i>Neotoma</i> spp.) reveal constraints on diet breadth in herbivorous mammals
Large-scale surveys of woodrats ( <i>Neotoma</i> spp.) reveal constraints on diet breadth in herbivorous mammals Open
Characterizing niche space is critical for predicting species interactions and responses to environmental change. To enhance our understanding of dietary niche breadth, we used DNA metabarcoding to examine how diets of a widespread, model …
View article: Climate differentially impacts ticks infected and uninfected with <i>Borrelia burgdorferi</i>
Climate differentially impacts ticks infected and uninfected with <i>Borrelia burgdorferi</i> Open
Climate change continues to alter the behavior and distribution of species worldwide, with major ramifications for the transmission and risk of infectious diseases, including those caused by zoonotic vector-borne pathogens. This study expl…
View article: Exploring Metrics of Biological Diversity to Better Predict and Respond to Emerging Diseases
Exploring Metrics of Biological Diversity to Better Predict and Respond to Emerging Diseases Open
Synopsis The emergence of infectious diseases is largely driven by spillover events from animal communities into human populations, with zoonotic pathogens accounting for 75% of novel infectious agents. In recent years, the incidence and p…
View article: Efficacy of rodent pathogen reservoir-targeted topical acaricide treatment strategies to lower the density of host-seeking Ixodes pacificus nymphs in California
Efficacy of rodent pathogen reservoir-targeted topical acaricide treatment strategies to lower the density of host-seeking Ixodes pacificus nymphs in California Open
View article: Prevalence of Rickettsia species phylotype G022 and Rickettsia tillamookensis in Ixodes pacificus nymphs and adults from Northern California
Prevalence of Rickettsia species phylotype G022 and Rickettsia tillamookensis in Ixodes pacificus nymphs and adults from Northern California Open
View article: Climate-driven variation in the phenology of juvenile Ixodes pacificus on lizard hosts
Climate-driven variation in the phenology of juvenile Ixodes pacificus on lizard hosts Open
View article: Climate‐associated variation in the within‐season dynamics of juvenile ticks in California
Climate‐associated variation in the within‐season dynamics of juvenile ticks in California Open
Changing climate has driven shifts in species phenology, influencing a range of ecological interactions from plant–pollinator to consumer–resource. Phenological changes in host–parasite systems have implications for pathogen transmission d…
View article: Macro-parasites and micro-parasites co-exist in rodent communities but are associated with different community-level parameters
Macro-parasites and micro-parasites co-exist in rodent communities but are associated with different community-level parameters Open
Wildlife species are often heavily parasitized by multiple infections simultaneously. Yet research on sylvatic transmission cycles, tend to focus on host interactions with a single parasite and neglects the influence of co-infections by ot…
View article: Host blood meal identity modifies vector gene expression and competency
Host blood meal identity modifies vector gene expression and competency Open
A vector’s susceptibility and ability to transmit a pathogen— termed vector competency—determines disease outcomes, yet the ecological factors influencing tick vector competency remain largely unknown. Ixodes pacificus, the tick vector of …
View article: Lizard feeding enhances<i>Ixodes pacificus</i>vector competency
Lizard feeding enhances<i>Ixodes pacificus</i>vector competency Open
A vector’s susceptibility and ability to transmit a pathogen— termed vector competency—determines disease outcomes, yet the ecological factors influencing tick vector competency remain largely unknown. Ixodes pacificus , the vector of Borr…
View article: A Beginner’s Guide to Collecting Questing Hard Ticks (Acari: Ixodidae): A Standardized Tick Dragging Protocol
A Beginner’s Guide to Collecting Questing Hard Ticks (Acari: Ixodidae): A Standardized Tick Dragging Protocol Open
Tick-borne diseases are emerging globally, necessitating increased research and coordination of tick surveillance practices. The most widely used technique for active collection of host-seeking, human-biting tick vectors is ‘tick dragging’…
View article: Circulation of Tick-Borne Spirochetes in Tick and Small Mammal Communities in Santa Barbara County, California, USA
Circulation of Tick-Borne Spirochetes in Tick and Small Mammal Communities in Santa Barbara County, California, USA Open
A diversity of Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato (Johnson, Schmid, Hyde, Steigerwalt & Brenner) (Spirochaetales: Spirochaetaceae) genomospecies, including the Lyme disease agent, Borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto (s.s.), have been identifie…
View article: Comparative vector competence of North American Lyme disease vectors
Comparative vector competence of North American Lyme disease vectors Open
View article: Patterns, Drivers, and Challenges of Vector-Borne Disease Emergence
Patterns, Drivers, and Challenges of Vector-Borne Disease Emergence Open
Vector-borne diseases are emerging at an increasing rate and comprise a disproportionate share of all emerging infectious diseases. Yet, the key ecological and evolutionary dimensions of vector-borne disease that facilitate their emergence…
View article: Investigating Instructor Talk in Novel Contexts: Widespread Use, Unexpected Categories, and an Emergent Sampling Strategy
Investigating Instructor Talk in Novel Contexts: Widespread Use, Unexpected Categories, and an Emergent Sampling Strategy Open
Instructor Talk—noncontent language used by instructors in classrooms—is a recently defined and promising variable for better understanding classroom dynamics. Having previously characterized the Instructor Talk framework within the contex…
View article: Students as ecologists: Strategies for successful mentorship of undergraduate researchers
Students as ecologists: Strategies for successful mentorship of undergraduate researchers Open
Guiding undergraduates through the ecological research process can be incredibly rewarding and present opportunities to break down barriers to inclusion and diversity in scientific disciplines. At the same time, mentoring undergraduate res…
View article: Evidence for transmission of the zoonotic apicomplexan parasite Babesia duncani by the tick Dermacentor albipictus
Evidence for transmission of the zoonotic apicomplexan parasite Babesia duncani by the tick Dermacentor albipictus Open
View article: Tick Microbiome Characterization by Next-Generation 16S rRNA Amplicon Sequencing
Tick Microbiome Characterization by Next-Generation 16S rRNA Amplicon Sequencing Open
In recent decades, vector-borne diseases have re-emerged and expanded at alarming rates, causing considerable morbidity and mortality worldwide. Effective and widely available vaccines are lacking for a majority of these diseases, necessit…
View article: Risk of vector tick exposure initially increases, then declines through time in response to wildfire in California
Risk of vector tick exposure initially increases, then declines through time in response to wildfire in California Open
Identifying the effects of human‐driven perturbations, such as species introductions or habitat fragmentation, on the ecology and dynamics of infectious disease has become a central focus of disease ecologists. Yet, comparatively little is…
View article: Collectively Improving Our Teaching: Attempting Biology Department–wide Professional Development in Scientific Teaching
Collectively Improving Our Teaching: Attempting Biology Department–wide Professional Development in Scientific Teaching Open
Many efforts to improve science teaching in higher education focus on a few faculty members at an institution at a time, with limited published evidence on attempts to engage faculty across entire departments. We created a long-term, depar…
View article: Metagenomic-based Surveillance of Pacific Coast tick Dermacentor occidentalis Identifies Two Novel Bunyaviruses and an Emerging Human Ricksettsial Pathogen
Metagenomic-based Surveillance of Pacific Coast tick Dermacentor occidentalis Identifies Two Novel Bunyaviruses and an Emerging Human Ricksettsial Pathogen Open
An increasing number of emerging tick-borne diseases has been reported in the United States since the 1970s. Using metagenomic next generation sequencing, we detected nucleic acid sequences from 2 novel viruses in the family Bunyaviridae a…
View article: Lyme disease risk in southern California: abiotic and environmental drivers of Ixodes pacificus (Acari: Ixodidae) density and infection prevalence with Borrelia burgdorferi
Lyme disease risk in southern California: abiotic and environmental drivers of Ixodes pacificus (Acari: Ixodidae) density and infection prevalence with Borrelia burgdorferi Open
View article: Survey of questions on Lyme disease ecology from Lyme disease ecology in a changing world: consensus, uncertainty and critical gaps for improving control
Survey of questions on Lyme disease ecology from Lyme disease ecology in a changing world: consensus, uncertainty and critical gaps for improving control Open
Lyme disease is the most common tick-borne disease in temperate regions of North America, Europe and Asia, and the number of reported cases has increased in many regions as landscapes have been altered. Although there has been extensive wo…
View article: Tick microbiome and pathogen acquisition altered by host blood meal
Tick microbiome and pathogen acquisition altered by host blood meal Open
Lyme disease, a zoonotic disease, is the most prevalent vector-borne disease in the Northern Hemisphere. Diversity of the vector (tick) microbiome can impact pathogen transmission, yet the biotic and abiotic factors that drive microbiome d…
View article: Tick‐, mosquito‐, and rodent‐borne parasite sampling designs for the National Ecological Observatory Network
Tick‐, mosquito‐, and rodent‐borne parasite sampling designs for the National Ecological Observatory Network Open
Parasites and pathogens are increasingly recognized as significant drivers of ecological and evolutionary change in natural ecosystems. Concurrently, transmission of infectious agents among human, livestock, and wildlife populations repres…