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	march 19, 2007
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	Over the top: UGA campaign surpasses $500 million goal 15 months early; push continues to set new giving record
	Willson Chair in business established with $2.5 million gift
	UGA scientist named Georgia Cancer Coalition Scholar
	Anti-poverty group will present its recommendations at March 19 meeting
	Pecan Hill Seminar to bring back tradition of backyard discussions
	Chef wins challenge
	Something to think about: Scientists show that rats are capable of reflecting on their own mental processes
	Academic professional, microbiology professor will receive advising award
	Volunteers for life: UGA alumni pitch in to help the Peace Corps
	Ecologist receives five-year grant to study disease patterns in butterflies
	Why it’s hard to be trendy and traditionally Muslim
	Obituary: Clyde Anglin
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Ecologist receives five-year grant to study disease patterns in butterflies

By Anisa S. Jimenez
anisaj@uga.edu

Sonia Altizer’s interest in butterflies and parasites began when she received a microscope and grow-your-own-butterfly kit at age 12. The assistant professor at UGA’s Institute of Ecology recently received a National Science Foundation Faculty Early Development Career award to study infectious disease patterns of monarch butterflies.

Sonia Altizer will lead a collaborative study to determine how components of migration, such as the total migratory distances traveled and energetic costs of the journey, affect transmission within a population of monarch butterflies. (Photo by Peter Frey)

“The overall goal of the project is to better understand how long-distance migration in animals affects the spread and impact of their infectious diseases,” said Altizer. “Monarch butterflies have very diverse migration patterns and provide a perfect case study.”

Best known for their spectacular North American migration, monarchs inhabit islands and continents worldwide. Those that live in tropical areas such as Hawaii do not migrate, but monarchs found in temperate locales migrate up to thousands of miles per year. Monarch populations that do not migrate suffer from the highest disease prevalence, and Altizer’s research will determine reasons for the lower infection rates in migratory butterfly populations.

“Diseases that pose risks for humans, such as avian influenza and West Nile virus, are also carried by migratory animals,” said Altizer. “Studying infection patterns in monarch butterflies will help determine the relationships between animal migration and infectious disease transmission as well as how long parasites can live on their migrating hosts.”

The five-year, $679,492 study will determine how components of migration, such as the total migratory distances traveled and energetic costs of the journey, affect transmission within a population. This will be a collaborative effort, with a team of researchers from UGA and other universities involved in recording field observations, conducting experiments and developing mathematical models.

The education and outreach segment of the project will include a citizen science project, Monarch Health, in which volunteers across North America will collect parasite samples from wild monarchs. In addition, coursework geared toward promoting environmental literacy to non-science majors will be developed at UGA. Altizer encourages undergraduate research in her lab and has many students participate in the collection of data and the communication of results. Members of her lab group also participate in a variety of local education programs.

“Butterflies are a way for people to get up close and personal with nature,” said Altizer. “These iconic creatures are not only beautiful, but are also scientifically fascinating.”

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