Grant: Discovery Grants Program - Individual

There are two research foci in my laboratory. First, we aim to establish evolutionary trees that reflect the accurate identification and classification of biting flies such as mosquitoes and black flies. The relationships that we establish can then be used in comparative ecological studies. In order to identify these insects, we use a total evidence approach, which means that we study a wide variety of traits including morphological, cytological (chromosomal), behavioural and molecular (DNA sequence) characters. There are many cryptic species among the biting flies and not all behave in the same way or have the same ecological requirements. We have evidence that some have different sugar-feeding preferences and blood-feeding preferences and not all cryptic species are competent vectors of disease. Thus, our research is important for the broader fields of medical and veterinary entomology. Second, we study blood-feeding and sugar-feeding preferences among closely related species of biting flies in order to determine which species (or cryptic species) are potential vectors of disease. We are examining specific diseases such as a rodent malaria and bird malaria to determine if sugar-feeding preferences influence disease transmission. Finally, one student is studying the breeding site requirements of Anopheles mosquitoes that transmit human malaria in Ecuador and Peru in order to determine if they will be able to broaden their ranges into highland areas as global warming increases.