Speaker: Alex Soldo of the Albany Pine Bush

Title: Trouble in Paradise: Invasive Parasites and Their Interactions in Darwin’s Finches of the Galápagos Islands

Description: The Galápagos Islands are home to a unique assemblage of endemic birds, including Darwin’s finches, whose evolution in isolation has made them an iconic example of adaptive radiation. However, isolation can leave island species particularly vulnerable to introduced parasites and pathogens. Today, Galápagos birds face several introduced threats, including the blood-feeding avian vampire fly (Philornis downsi) and avian pox virus. In nature, hosts often contend with multiple types of parasite at once, with the potential for complex interactions that influence infection and disease. In this talk, we’ll take a closer look at this system through the small ground finch (Geospiza fuliginosa) and consider what these interactions might mean for the conservation of Galápagos birds.

Bio: Alexandria (Alex) Soldo is the Field Ecologist & Entomologist at the Albany Pine Bush Preserve. Alex earned her B.S. in Conservation Biology from the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry in 2019, and her M.S. Degree in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology from the University of Connecticut in 2024. Her graduate thesis examined the effects of invasive parasites on Darwin’s finches in the Galápagos Islands. Her interests broadly include avian ectoparasites, disease ecology, host–parasite interactions, and the ecology and conservation of birds and insects.