2020 Fiscal Year Annual Research Report
Testing dilution versus amplification effects of primate biodiversity on parasite biodiversity
| Project/Area Number |
20H03333
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| Research Institution | Kyoto University |
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Principal Investigator |
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| Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha) |
岡本 宗裕 京都大学, 霊長類研究所, 教授 (70177096)
和田 崇之 大阪市立大学, 大学院生活科学研究科, 教授 (70332450)
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| Project Period (FY) |
2020-04-01 – 2024-03-31
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| Keywords | Primatology / Parasitology / Epidemiology / Conservatioon / Biodiversity / Macroecology |
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| Outline of Annual Research Achievements |
The global SARS-CoV-2 virus pandemic (COVID-19) has shown how important it is to better understand relationships between wildlife, infectious diseases and human activities. But, COVID-19 has also limited human activities worldwide, and this has interfered significantly with the current project. Because we could not travel to the field in Sabah, Malaysian Borneo, to collect data for this project, we have few achievements to speak of. Instead, we have focused on developing experimental protocols to support the work, including: (i) DNA extraction protocols for isolating both host and parasite DNA from primate feces; (ii) laboratory parasitology protocols to locate and identify parasites in primate feces; (iii) drone piloting to support primate surveys and biological sample collection. These developments will be put to use in subsequent years of this project toward our overall study aims, which will also be expanded to include study sites within Japan to avoid limitations on international travel. We also used the time to complete previous studies of parasite infection in primates of Sabah and elsewhere, which are directly related to the aims of the current project.
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| Current Status of Research Progress |
Current Status of Research Progress
4: Progress in research has been delayed.
Reason
With the continuation of the COVID-19 pandemic throughout last year, this project has been significantly delayed because it relies heavily on fieldwork in Sabah, Malaysian Borneo. We had planned field trips to Sabah to collect data but all trips were cancelled. In addition, Sabah was on lockdown multiple times throughout the year, so local collaborators also had reduced access to field sites and reduced capacity to support the project.
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| Strategy for Future Research Activity |
Because the COVID-19 pandemic continues, we will take various countermeasures to advance this research even without being able to travel to Malaysian Borneo. First, we will continue to consult with colleagues in Sabah and aim to hire research assistants to collect biological samples and conduct field surveys for the project. Second, we will expand the project to include sites within Japan (e.g. Yakushima, Koshima, Jigokudani) to (i) develop field and lab methods for use in Sabah and (ii) examine parasite infection dynamics in another Asian primate: the Japanese macaque. Finally, we will work on the theoretical components of this research using published records of primate-parasite interactions in relation to global land use change.
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