Catherine Cullingham
Associate Professor
| Degrees: | B.Sc. (University of Guelph), Ph.D. (Trent University) |
| Email: | catherine.cullingham@carleton.ca |
| Office: | Office: NB 318B Lab: NB 311 |
| Website: | Visit My Website |
Current Research
The Genomics of Plants, Pests and Populations (GP3) lab uses methods from molecular biology, landscape ecology, population genetics/genomics, and geographic information systems to address issues in wildlife management (yes, plants are wildlife!). Often my research looks at spread risk of disease from the perspective of the host. This has included using landscape genetics to understand animal movement to predict raccoon rabies, and chronic wasting disease spread, to identifying genetic variation that may be linked to lodgepole pine susceptibility in the mountain pine beetle system.
Currently I am working on community genomics in two systems: mountain-pine beetle and mosquito arboviruses. While we can garner considerable information studying species in isolation, we need to examine species as a community to better understand host-pathogen systems. Using methods from population genomics and landscape ecology my lab is investigating the mountain pine beetle system to better understand what genetic factors contribute to pathogenicity and host-pine susceptibility to develop risk maps across the relevant ranges of the species which can be used for making management decisions. In the mosquito system, we are using landscape genetic approaches to help quantify risk of increasing viral prevalence under climate change.
Selected Publications
Clarke JG, Smith AC, Cullingham CI (2024) Genetic rescue leads to higher fitness as a result of increased heterozygosity across animal taxa. Molecular Ecology
Avramov M, Gallo V, Gross A, Lapen DR, Ludwig A, Cullingham CI (2024) A cost-effective RNA extraction and RT-qPCR approach to detect California serogroup viruses from pooled mosquito samples. Scientific Reports
Hudgins EJ, Leung B, MacQuarrie CJK, McCullough DG, et al. (2024) Five organizing themes for invasive forest insect and disease management in Canada and the United States. Forest Ecology and Management
Avramov M, Thaivalappil A, Ludwig A, Miner L, Cullingham CI, Waddell L, Lapen DR (2023) Relationship between water quality and mosquito presence and abundance: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Medical Entomology
Cullingham CI, Stephens TR, Swan KD, Wilson SC, Janes JK, Matchett MR, Griebel R, Moehrenschlager A (2023) Genetic analysis reveals hidden threats and new motivation for conservation translocation of black-tailed prairie dogs at the northern limit of their range. Global Ecology and Conservation
Cullingham CI, Peery RM, Miller JM (2023) A roadmap to robust discriminant analysis of principal components. Molecular Ecology Resources