Jacob Martin
MSc Student
He/Him
Department of Geography and Planning
Queen's University
Supervisor: Dr. Dongmei Chen
Research Interests
As the Earth’s climate warms, species distributions and population dynamics are changing in response to shifting environmental conditions. One example of these species is the Ixodes Scapularis or Black-Legged tick, which has seen drastic northwards migration since its first identification in 1972 in Long Point, Ontario (Watson and Anderson, 1976). This range expansion is particularly concerning due to the species’ role as a vector for Lyme disease transmission in later life stages (Goldstein et al., 2001). Previous studies have implemented a range of modelling techniques to predict future habitat distribution (Sharma et al., 2024). My research focuses on applying deep learning methods to predict the future distribution of I. scapularis and comparing performance with existing modelling frameworks. Through this research, I seek to better understand I. scapularis population dynamics in Ontario and support public health and disease prevention efforts.
Sharma, Y., Laison, E. K. E., Philippsen, T., Ma, J., Kong, J., Ghaemi, S., Liu, J., Hu, F., & Nasri, B. (2024). Models and data used to predict the abundance and distribution of Ixodes scapularis (blacklegged tick) in North America: A scoping review. The Lancet Regional Health – Americas, 32, 100706.
Goldstein, E. J. C., Thompson, C., Spielman, A., & Krause, P. J. (2001). Coinfecting deer-associated zoonoses: Lyme disease, babesiosis, and ehrlichiosis. Clinical Infectious Diseases, 33(5), 676–685.
Watson, T. G., & Anderson, R. C. (1976). Ixodes scapularis Say on white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) from Long Point, Ontario. Journal of Wildlife Diseases, 12(1), 66–71.