I examine fundamental ecological and evolutionary questions in parasite systems and consider my research to be at the interface of ecology, evolution, and genetics.  Parasitology provides a rich subject area for studies of ecology and evolutionary biology.  Numerous topics such as ecosystem dynamics, mating systems, or coevolution can be addressed because parasites are extremely diverse.  By diversity, I include not only the myriad of taxa that have independently evolved a parasitic lifestyle, but also the diversity in life cycles, modes of reproduction, host species, and ecosystems utilized by parasites.  This diversity also allows for comparative studies to address theories or unifying principles that span ecosystems or taxonomic groups.  Furthermore, there are many practical applications such as studying the evolution of drug resistance, or using parasite community structure to assess “ecosystem health”.  My research interests address both basic and applied questions, and span three overlapping subject areas: 1) Evolution: Population Genetics, Mating Systems, and Molecular Epidemiology, 2) Ecology: Biodiversity, Conservation, and Natural History, and 3) Genetics and Ecological Genomics.

Please visit the Criscione Lab Website to obtain more information on my research program, teaching, and laboratory members, or to view my publications and CV.

1. Hulke, JM, Criscione, CD. Testing the Mating System Model of Parasite Complex Life Cycle Evolution Reveals Demographically Driven Mixed Mating. Am Nat. 2024;204 (6):600-615. doi: 10.1086/732807. PubMed PMID:39556872 .
2. Criscione, CD. ACCEPTANCE OF THE 2023 HENRY BALDWIN WARD MEDAL: PEDIGREE OF A PARASITOLOGIST PROGENY. J Parasitol. 2023;109 (6):655-662. doi: 10.1645/23-72. PubMed PMID:38156757 .
3. Hulke, JM, Criscione, CD. Characterization of 21 microsatellite loci for the precocious, grass-shrimp trematode Alloglossidium renale. Mol Biochem Parasitol. 2023;254 :111563. doi: 10.1016/j.molbiopara.2023.111563. PubMed PMID:37086899 .
4. Thorn, CS, Maness, RW, Hulke, JM, Delmore, KE, Criscione, CD. Population genomics of helminth parasites. J Helminthol. 2023;97 :e29. doi: 10.1017/S0022149X23000123. PubMed PMID:36927601 .
5. Criscione, CD, Hulke, JM, Goater, CP. TREMATODE CLONE ABUNDANCE DISTRIBUTIONS: AN ECO-EVOLUTIONARY LINK BETWEEN PARASITE TRANSMISSION AND PARASITE MATING SYSTEMS. J Parasitol. 2022;108 (6):565-576. doi: 10.1645/22-68. PubMed PMID:36449043 .
6. Hulke, JM, Ellenburg, WH, Zelmer, DA, Criscione, CD. QUANTIFYING BILATERAL INFECTION PATTERNS IN THE TREMATODE ALLOGLOSSIDIUM RENALE. J Parasitol. 2021;107 (5):731-738. doi: 10.1645/21-2. PubMed PMID:34546334 .
7. Criscione, CD, van Paridon, BJ, Gilleard, JS, Goater, CP. Clonemate cotransmission supports a role for kin selection in a puppeteer parasite. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2020;117 (11):5970-5976. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1922272117. PubMed PMID:32123093 PubMed Central PMC7084154.
8. Sakla, AJ, Detwiler, JT, Caballero, IC, Kelehear, C, Criscione, CD. Recognizing the Causes of Parasite Morphological Variation to Resolve the Status of a Cryptogenic Pentastome. J Parasitol. 2019;105 (3):432-441. . PubMed PMID:31169454 .
9. Caballero, IC, Criscione, CD. Little to no inbreeding depression in a tapeworm with mixed mating. J Evol Biol. 2019;32 (9):1002-1010. doi: 10.1111/jeb.13496. PubMed PMID:31162885 .
10. Dusitsittipon, S, Criscione, CD, Morand, S, Komalamisra, C, Thaenkham, U. Hurdles in the evolutionary epidemiology of Angiostrongylus cantonensis: Pseudogenes, incongruence between taxonomy and DNA sequence variants, and cryptic lineages. Evol Appl. 2018;11 (8):1257-1269. doi: 10.1111/eva.12621. PubMed PMID:30151038 PubMed Central PMC6099809.