Disease Ecology

The co-circulation of arboviruses such as dengue, chikungunya, and yellow fever poses a rising public health threat, particularly in regions facing rapid environmental and climatic changes. When multiple viruses are transmitted by the same mosquito populations, the risk of co-infection, diagnostic challenges, and unpredictable outbreak dynamics increases.

Peru is a critical study site due to its diverse ecosystems, active transmission zones, and overlapping sylvatic and urban cycles—especially in Amazonian regions. Texas, on the other hand, lies at the edge of arbovirus expansion in the U.S., where climate variability, urbanization, and cross-border movement create conditions for local transmission.

Together, these locations offer valuable contrasts in ecology and infrastructure, helping to reveal how arboviruses spread and persist across different environments.

 Metapolybia biplanata sp. nov. is a newly described species of swarm-founding social wasp identified in the lowland rainforests of Manu, Peru (formerly referred to as "Manu, Brazil"). This study investigates the physical and environmental factors influencing nest stability in this species, focusing on nest architecture, attachment strategies, and resilience to climatic variables such as rainfall and wind. Field observations and structural measurements were conducted across multiple colonies to evaluate how nest design supports collective survival in a humid tropical environment. Nests of M. biplanata exhibit a distinctive biplanar comb arrangement with reinforced petioles and silk-based attachments, suggesting adaptations to reduce torsional stress and increase structural flexibility. Our findings highlight the importance of nest architecture in mediating environmental pressures and underscore the ecological significance of nest stability in the evolution of sociality in tropical wasps. These insights contribute to our broader understanding of nest-building behavior in Neotropical Polistinae and offer comparative data for future studies on swarm-founding wasps. 

The Chinati Mountains State Natural Area is one of several new Texas parks that are in the final stages of planning. The park has approximately 39,000 acres of undeveloped land not yet opened to the public. As such, it offers a rare opportunity to conduct before-and-after research on species diversity and the effect that park development has on wildlife populations.  More specifically the goal of this research is to conduct ant diversity surveys of existing ant populations in the park, particularly those near proposed hiking and biking trails. My research seeks to monitor temporal changes in the number of P. rugosus, P. barbatus and associated species Novomessor cockerelli nests before and after the establishment and use of interior roads, campsites, hiking and biking trails. A secondary goal, but no less important goal of this research is to determine identify any instances of P. anergismus, a workerless parasite ant infrequently collected from the nests of P. rugosus and P. barbatus.  Very little is know about P. anergismus, including its Texas distribution or how the species manages to evade recognition.  Principle Investigator: Mark Shepherd, Ph.D., QEP.  TPWD Research Permit # - pending