Pathogen Amplification in Communities of Tick Hosts, Richard Ostfeld

Richard S. Ostfeld, Senior Scientist, Cary Institute for Ecosystem Studies, presents a general audience lecture: “Conventional Wisdom and Reality in the Ecology of Lyme Disease “. Conventional wisdom — that deer are responsible for producing the ticks that transmit Lyme disease – has led to the culling and fencing of deer as the main methods of managing Lyme disease risk. But it turns out that deer are only one of many animal species that influence our risk of getting sick, and neither culling nor fencing has a strong track record of protecting our health. Instead, small rodents like mice and chipmunks are far more important than are deer. These rodents thrive when we fragment natural habitats and reduce biodiversity, so we can reduce our risk of Lyme disease by maintaining undisturbed forest and the biodiversity therein.
Sponsored by the George B. Saul II Lecture Fund and the Department of Biology (www.middlebury.edu/academics/bio).

He will present a more research-oriented talk on Friday 10/30 at 12:30pm.