Parasite Biodiversity and Wildlife Genomics Lab

Integrating field studies, laboratory experiments, and population genomics to conserve wildlife and uncover complex patterns of parasite transmission.

Welcome to the Gustafson Lab at Arkansas State University. Our team focuses on the environmental and ecological factors that affect the distributions, genetics, and genomics of host and parasite populations. Gustafson-lab research has a strong focus on how historic factors have led to the current composition of populations and communities and how contemporary factors are affecting the evolution of populations. Although field work is a key part of our workflow, many population-level processes can not be readily observed through field observations alone. Thus, we use genetic and genomic lab techniques to disentangle complex patterns of population structure, gene flow, and parasite transmission. We have a strong focus on conservation and commonly study nematodes, trematodes, snails, amphibians, and mammals, but our techniques can be easily expanded to other organisms.