 I am a Ph.D. student in the lab of Dr. Pieter Johnson at the University of Colorado at Boulder. My current research focuses on disease ecology, especially in the context of amphibian population declines. I am interested in how disease affects ecosystems and the ecological consequences of amphibian declines. I am also broadly interested in ecological parasitology and the ecology and evolution of reptiles and amphibians. Disease Ecology in Amphibians - Infectious disease outbreaks are increasing in frequency and intensity in both human and wildlife populations. Scientists have traditionally taken an organismal perspective to studying the effects of diseases in nature (i.e. emphasis has been placed on understanding the impacts of disease on individuals). More recently, efforts have been made to scale-up the study of disease to populations and even whole ecosystems. Infectious diseases have the potential to alter ecosystem processes such as energy flow and nutrient cycling and may play important roles in food webs and in mediating community dynamics.  Various diseases have been linked to global amphibian declines, yet relatively little is known about the roles of parasites in contributing to declines. A trematode parasite, Ribeiroia ondatrae, has been shown to induce severe limb malformations in amphibians throughout the Western USA (see image at right by Stan Sessions). Trematode parasites present a promising model to address questions relating to the role of pathogens in ecosystem processes. I currently have research underway to address whether trematodes are important in the flow of energy in pond ecosystems and I am also working to determine whether parasites may mediate the strength of trophic interactions between infected amphibians and their predators. Lastly, I am interested in the roles played by both amphibians and parasites in food webs and I am planning several projects to use stable isotopes to address these topics. If you work on similar issues or would like to collaborate, please contact me. I am always interested in meeting people who are conducting research on related topics. I can be reached at 'daniel.preston@colorado.edu'.  Previous Research Projects - I completed my undergraduate degree at Oregon State University. My honors thesis focused on anesthesia in reptiles. With Dr. Robert Mason and Dr. Craig Mosley, I conducted several experiments to determine if physiological factors contribute to creating variability in the duration of anesthesia in garter snakes. While at OSU, I also worked with Dr. Bruce Menge and Luis Vinueza on intertidal ecology in the Galapagos and I was able to spend some time in Australia working on frogs. Check out the links at the bottom of the page to see photos from some of these projects. Please contact me if you would like to use any photos from this website and I will gladly send you the original files. Click here to read an article about some of my research experiences at Oregon State University. |
