I have studied natural selection and ecological processes, including rapid, evolutionary effects of gene flow (especially involving transgenic plants), and possible risks associated with gene editing and gene drives for altering or suppressing wild populations. A recent example involves a proposal by scientists at MIT to develop gene-edited, white-footed mice that are resistant to the Lyme spirochete for release on the islands of Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts. Evaluating this proposal led to my research on the abundance and infection levels of blacklegged ticks on these islands to better understand the ecological dynamics of the Lyme transmission cycle. With colleagues at UMass-Amherst, I’m also studying other tick-borne diseases and the expanding range of lone star ticks. A publication describing our findings from 2020-2022 is available here. In 2023-24, I conducted a survey of tick abundance across habitats on the island of Chappaquiddick, Martha’s Vineyard, published here. Curently, I am studying the conservation of wild rockweed populations on the rocky intertidal coast of Maine.
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