Understanding Patterns in Parasite Distribution in Freshwater Systems

A large component of my research is understanding patterns in parasite communities (all parasites in an ecosystem) and infracommunities (all parasites living on an individual host). To do this I collect from fish from freshwater systems including lakes, reservoirs, and rivers and dissect them for parasites. So far, I have detected patterns that depend on host traits including body size and sexual morphotype, and environmental traits. Exploring this patterns in natural systems can help in future management of host species, and understanding disease dynamics in natural populations.