Theses and Dissertations

ORCID

0009-0005-1765-3547

Advisor

Ruiz Aravena, Manuel

Committee Member

Sandel, Michael

Committee Member

Rynda-Apple, Agnieszka

Committee Member

Espejo, Camila

Date of Degree

8-12-2026

Original embargo terms

Embargo 1 year

Document Type

Graduate Thesis - Open Access

Major

Wildlife, Fisheries & Aquaculture

Degree Name

Master of Science (M.S.)

College

College of Forest Resources

Department

Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Aquaculture

Abstract

Wild rodents host a high diversity of pathogens of concern to human and animal health. The ecological conditions that promote pathogen persistence and spillover from rodent hosts remain incompletely understood. Investigating these dynamics remains challenged by a lack of species-specific reagents, limited pre-existing knowledge of wild systems, and unreliable detection of infected individuals. Here, we apply 16S rRNA gut microbiome sequencing as an untargeted, species-agnostic approach to evaluating the drivers of health across ecological scales in three sympatric rodent genera in the southeastern United States. We find evidence that host phylogeny structures gut microbiome composition across rodents in our study communities. We also identify 26 candidate human pathogens and observe the greatest diversity of these pathogens in an understudied rodent host (Reithrodontomys spp.). Overall, our study emphasizes the utility of untargeted methods that capture both the host and microbial communities with which pathogens interact.

Sponsorship (Optional)

United States Forest Service (USDA USFS International Programs Agreement 22-DG-11132762-347) and United States Agricultural Research Service (USDA-ARS NACA 2023 Cooperative Agreement 58-6064-3-017)

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Available for download on Thursday, September 09, 2027

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