Didyk

Research Interests:
My current research interests include the taxonomy and community ecology of parasitic helminths and ectoparasites of various vertebrate hosts including the behavioural, biogeographical, evolutionary, life cycle and developmental aspects of parasites, and their intermediate and definitive hosts. The major groups currently being studied include shorebirds, eared grebes, bats and shrews.

Shorebirds: studies on shorebirds have focused on helminth communities in a variety of species as well as an analysis of the accumulation of methyl mercury in the tissues of migrant semipalmated sandpipers that feed on the contaminated amphipod Corophium volutator.
Eared grebes: work being carried out on eared grebes examines the dramatic reduction in parasite loads that occurs as the birds move from breeding grounds in Canada to molting and staging grounds on salt lakes in the Unites States.
Bats: using specimens held by the New Brunswick museum, several native species of bats are being surveyed for seasonal changes in parasite loads and diversity.
Shrews: currently looking at the parasite communities of the masked (common) shrew, Sorex cinereus, in the Grand Lake Meadows region of New Brunswick.

Society Responsibilities
Member of Steering Committee of the Bay of Fundy Ecosystem Partnership (BoFEP)
Member of the Honorary Members and Distinguished Members Emeriti Committee of the American Society of Parasitologists

Recent Publications:
Kinsella, J.K., Didyk, A.S., and A.G. Canaris. 2008. Helminth parasites of dowitchers, Limnodromus griseus from Alaska, and Limnodromus scolopaceous from Montana, USA. Comparative Parasitology, 75(2): 329-332.

Didyk, A.S., Canaris, A. G., and J. M. Kinsella. 2007. Intestinal helminths of the spotted sandpiper, Actitis macularius (L.), during fall migration in New Brunswick, Canada, with a checklist of helminths reported from this host. Comparative Parasitology 74(2): 359-363.

Didyk, A.S., Kinsella, J. M., and A. G. Canaris, A. G. 2007. Intestinal helminths of fall-migrating ruddy turnstones, Arenaria interpres (L.), from New Brunswick, Canada, with a checklist of helminths reported from this host. Comparative Parasitology 74(2): 364-371. Kinsella, J. M.,

Didyk, A. S., and A. G. Canaris. 2007. Helminths of Hudsonian godwits, Limosa haemastica, from Alaska and Manitoba. Journal of Parasitology, 93(3): 716-717.

Didyk, A. S., Bourgeois, N., Arp, P. A., Bourque, J., Braune, B., Cox, G. K., Ritchie, C., Wells, P. G., and P. A. Arp. 2005. The roles of Corophium volutator and mercury in compromisingshorebird migration. The Changing Bay of Fundy: Beyond 400 Years; Proceedings of the 6^th Bay of Fundy Workshop, Occasional Report No. 23, Environment Canada.

Didyk, A.S. and M. D. B. Burt. 1999. Frogs consumed by Whimbrels, Numenius phaeopus, on breeding grounds at Churchill, Manitoba. Canadian Field-Naturalist 113 (4): 663-664.

Didyk, A.S. and M. D. B. Burt. 1998. Paraliga charadrii n. sp. (Cestoda: Dilepididae) from the semipalmated plover, Charadrius semipalmatus (Aves: Charadriiformes). Journal of Parasitology 84: 828-830.

Didyk, A.S. and M. D. B. Burt. 1998. Geographical, seasonal and sex dynamics of Shipleya inermis (Cestoidea: Dioecocestidae) in Limnodromus griseus (Gemelin (Aves: Charadriiformes). Journal of Parasitology 84: 931-934.

Didyk, A.S. and M. D. B. Burt. 1997. Himasthla limnodromi n. sp. (Digenea: Echinostomatidae) from the short-billed dowitcher, Limnodromus griseus (Aves: Scolopacidae). Journal of Parasitology 83: 1124-1127.

Recent Papers Presented at Professional and Technical Meetings:
Didyk, A.S., and J. R. Jehl, Jr. 2008. Eared grebes: where have all their helminths gone? American Society of Parasitologists 2008 Annual Meeting, Arlington, Texas.

Didyk, A. S., and J. R. Jehl, Jr. 2007. Helminth Fauna of eared grebes, Podiceps nigricollis BREHM 1831, staging at salt lakes in California and Utah, USA. 85^th Annual Meeting of the Association of Field Ornithologists, University of Maine, Orono, Maine, USA.

Didyk, A. S., Arp, P. A, Bourgeois, N., and M. D. B. Burt. 2007. Mercury levels in migrating semipalmated sandpipers, Calidris pusilla, (L.), on staging grounds in the Bay of Fundy. 7^th Bay of Fundy Workshop, Huntsman Marine Science Centre, St. Andrews, New Brunswick. Diamond, A., Otorowski, C., Burt, M. D. B.,

Didyk, A. S., Arp, P. M., and K. Macintosh. 2006. NB Coastal Study: ecological pathways of mercury (Hg) in the Bay of Fundy, Canada. COMERN (Collaborative Mercury Research Network) Sixth General Congress, Université de Quebec, Montreal. Diamond, A., Otorowski, C.,

Didyk, A. S., Arp, P., Macintosh, K., Bourgeois, N., Braune, B., and M. D. B. Burt. 2005. Ecological pathways of mercury (Hg) in seabirds and shorebirds in the Bay of Fundy, Canada. XIII International Conference on Heavy Metals in the Environment (ICHMET), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Didyk, A. S., Bourgeois, N., Bourque, J., Ritchie, C., Cox, G. K., Wells, P. G., and P. A. Arp. 2004. Intensive bioaccumulation of low levels of mercury in semipalmated sandpipers results in the potential inability to complete their fall migration to South America. COMERN (Collaborative Mercury Research Network) Food Web Workshop, Winnipeg, Manitoba. Bourgeois, N.,

Didyk, A. S., and M.D.B. Burt. 2004. Cumulative stress caused by mercury and parasites in shorebirds on their staging grounds in the upper Bay of Fundy. 43rd Annual Meeting of the Canadian Society of Zoologists, Wolfville, Nova Scotia.

Didyk, A. S. 2003. The value of introducing ‘no risk’ rewrites into an introductory Anatomy course. 8th Annual Association of Atlantic Universities Teaching Showcase. University College of Cape Breton, Sydney, Nova Scotia.

Didyk, A. S., and M.D.B. Burt. 2003. The helminth communities of five sympatric species of nearctic shorebirds. 78th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Parasitologists, Halifax, Nova Scotia.

Didyk, A. S. 2002. Does parasitism contribute to segregation in migrating shorebirds? 5th Bay of Fundy Science Workshop, Acadia University, Nova Scotia.

Didyk, A. S., and M.D.B. Burt. 2002. The helminth communites of five shorebird species in the Bay of Fundy, New Brunswick, Canada. 5th Bay of Fundy Science Workshop, Acadia University, Nova Scotia.


Common shrew (Sorex cinereus)	Jamie Patel: research assistant (summer 2008), in the field, checking pitfall traps for masked shrews	Terry Cormier: research assistant ((summer 2008) working on parasites of little brown bats (Myotis lucifugus), northern long-eared bats (Myotis septentrionalis) and big brown bats (Eptesicus fuscus)

Little brown bat (Myotis lucifugus). Photo used with permission of Beth Clare, PhD candidate at University of Guelph, Ontario.	The Montana connection: Mike Kinsella, Al Canaris, and self: specializing in shorebird parasites	Myself and Al Canaris at Bowdoin National Wildlife Refuge, Montana, USA

Joseph (Joe) R. Jehl, renowned shorebird and grebe expert, and wife Jeanne at home in Maryland, USA	Roughing it at “Joe’s Grebe Lab” in Maryland, USA	Thanks to Dr. Becky Holberton at the University of Maine at Orono for providing lab space for eared grebes work

Paralecithodendrium chilostomum from little brown bat (Myotis lucifugus). Photo by ASD	Limatulum gastroides from little brown bat (Myotis lucifugus). Photo by ASD.	With friends at International Conference on Heavy Metals in the Environment (ICHMET) in Rio de Janiero, Brazil, June 2005

Eared grebe (Podiceps nigricollis) in hand at Mono Lake, California. Photo used with permission of J.R. Jehl, Smithsonian Institute, Washington, D.C., USA	Harris's hawk (Parabuteo unicinctus) in hand at Cerveny Kamen castle falconry near Smolenice, Slovakia (June 2008). Photo used with permission of Dr. David Gonzales Solis	Paraliga charadrii Didyk and Burt, 1998, from semipalmated plover, Charadrius semipalmatus

Himasthla limnodromi Didyk and Burt, 1997, from short-billed dowitcher, Limnodromus griseus		Juvenile white-rumped sandpipers (Calidris fuscicollis) at Dorchester Cape, New Brunswick. Photo used with permission of Stuart Tingley.

Maintained by: casey@unb.ca
Last Update: 19 November 2008
This document: http://www.unb.ca/fredericton/science/biology/Faculty/didyk.html

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