Dissertation Research: Virus Infection in Field Populations of a Terrestrial Isopod
{'Code': '08010207', 'Directorate': {'Abbreviation': 'BIO', 'LongName': 'Direct For Biological Sciences'}, 'Division': {'Abbreviation': 'DEB', 'LongName': 'Division Of Environmental Biology'}}
{'SignBlockName': 'Joann P. Roskoski', 'PO_EMAI': None, 'PO_PHON': None}
One of the major objectives of the field of ecology is                     understanding the mechanisms by which biotic and abiotic forces                 determine the abundance and distribution of organisms.  Although                previous studies have examined various genetic and enviromental                 factors that predispose individual host organisms to infection by               parasites, few attempts have been made to understand how                        population level characteristics of the host affect their                       susceptibility to parasites in natural habitats.                                     The proposed research will experimentally examine the ways                 in which characteristics of terrestrial isopod populations affect               their susceptibility to a lethal virus.  Experiments in natural                 habitats will examine the interaction of isopod density and                     nutritional state with physical characteristics of the habitat                  which in turn affect their patterns of aggregation and movement.                Current theoretical models of host and parasite population                      dynamics suggest that fragmentation of a host population into                   smaller groups may be very important in determining the rates of                transmission of viruses through the host population.                                 Viruses have become important biological control agents in                 recent years and their full potential has yet to be realized.                   Understanding the factors that determine the effectiveness of a                 given control agent is important to ensure the success of that                  agent, and this study may increase our understanding of how and                 when applications of control agents will be most effective.                     Also, since isopods are very general in their feeding habitats                  and can disperse over significant distances, they are likely to                 be one of the most important soil organisms in terms of their                   ability to disperse genetically engineered microbes.  As the use                of genetically engineered organisms increases, more attention                   must be paid to the degree to which these microbes are dispersed                by isopods and other soil biota.
[{'FirstName': 'Wayne', 'LastName': 'Sousa', 'PI_MID_INIT': 'P', 'PI_SUFX_NAME': None, 'PI_FULL_NAME': 'Wayne P Sousa', 'EmailAddress': 'wpsousa@berkeley.edu', 'NSF_ID': '000113865', 'StartDate': '06/01/1988', 'EndDate': None, 'RoleCode': 'Principal Investigator'}, {'FirstName': 'Edwin', 'LastName': 'Grosholz', 'PI_MID_INIT': 'D', 'PI_SUFX_NAME': None, 'PI_FULL_NAME': 'Edwin D Grosholz', 'EmailAddress': 'tedgrosholz@ucdavis.edu', 'NSF_ID': '000216203', 'StartDate': '06/01/1988', 'EndDate': None, 'RoleCode': 'Co-Principal Investigator'}]
{'Name': 'University of California-Berkeley', 'CityName': 'BERKELEY', 'ZipCode': '947101749', 'PhoneNumber': '5106433891', 'StreetAddress': '1608 4TH ST STE 201', 'StreetAddress2': None, 'CountryName': 'United States', 'StateName': 'California', 'StateCode': 'CA', 'CONGRESSDISTRICT': '12', 'CONGRESS_DISTRICT_ORG': 'CA12', 'ORG_UEI_NUM': 'GS3YEVSS12N6', 'ORG_LGL_BUS_NAME': 'REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, THE', 'ORG_PRNT_UEI_NUM': None}
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{'Code': '1127', 'Text': 'Evolutionary Processes'}
{'url': 'https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/download?DownloadFileName=1988&All=true', 'xml': '8800962.xml'}