EEB Tuesday Seminar Series: Investigating RNA viruses in phyllostomid bat communities across fragmented landscapes in Brazil’s deforestation frontier

Description: Habitat fragmentation, the division of a continuous habitat into smaller patches, may impact the dynamics of the emergence and persistence of pathogens. As reservoir hosts for many emerging pathogens, bats are uniquely vulnerable to the consequences of habitat fragmentation. My dissertation proposal examines RNA virus dynamics in phyllostomid bat communities across Brazil’s deforestation frontier, the ecotonal region between the Amazon rainforest and Cerrado savanna. Specifically, I aim to longitudinally investigate how habitat fragmentation influences phyllostomid bat RNA virus dynamics, species richness, population connectivity, and diet.