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Chelsea Wood’s research program explores the ecology of parasites and pathogens in a changing world. Her work addresses practical applications for marine and freshwater conservation while emphasizing the essential value of ecological theory. She investigates how human impacts on biodiversity can increase the prevalence of parasites and erode natural 'checks and balances' of transmission. Key questions include: How does the removal of free-living biodiversity affect parasites that depend on it? What are the variable effects of biodiversity loss on parasite transmission and which factors can predict disease outcomes? Chelsea examines the transmission strategies of parasites and how the magnitude and timing of biodiversity loss as well as observational scale influence transmission dynamics—whether they increase, decrease, or remain unchanged in response to environmental changes. The answers to these questions are urgently needed as global changes accumulate and the perceived threat of infectious diseases grows.
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