Student discovers Sandhills species' life cycles affect parasite relationship

A hypothesis by a University of Nebraska-Lincoln doctoral student that western Nebraska amphibians' host-parasite cycle is shortened because of lack of biodiversity in the Sandhills environment led to an award-winning research paper.

Matthew Bolek, a doctoral candidate studying with biologist John Janovy Jr., earned the American Society of Parasitologists' national student paper competition at the society's recent meetings in Mobile, Ala. His paper, "How little frogs and big frogs get their worms: Life cycle plasticity in frog bladder flukes," was based on research at Cedar Point Biological Station near Ogallala. It reports that the life cycle of amphibian bladder flukes is different there than other areas, changing the host-parasite dynamic.

Biologists studying parasites and their hosts often have to wait patiently for their host specimens to age. Bolek, who studies transmission dynamics of amphibian lung flukes, bladder flukes and other parasites, believed that amphibian hosts' and flukes' lifecycles would be shorter, or truncated, in the Sandhills because there are fewer hosts.

"My hypothesis is based on evidence that this life cycle is different in different environments," Bolek said. "Where there are wide numbers of amphibian species, the life cycle is longer, and where there are fewer amphibian hosts, as in western Nebraska, this life cycle is different." Bolek's co-authors were Scott Snyder, an assistant professor of biology from University of Nebraska at Omaha, and Janovy, his adviser. Bolek said the research will lead to other questions involving the parasites and hosts.

Bolek earned his undergraduate degree at Carroll College in Waukesha, Wis., and his master's degree at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee before coming to UNL to study with Janovy.

Bolek is the sixth UNL doctoral student in recent years to win this prestigious national award.

CONTACT: John Janovy Jr., Professor, Biological Sciences, (402) 472-2754