A list of current and proposed sites is included. Initially, surveys will concentrate on macroparasites. After the project has been in operation for a period of time, protozoans and myxozoans will be surveyed. In addition, the survey will be expanded to include all species of stickleback, thus introducing a phylogenetic component to the work. However, participants may include these aspects of the survey at any time if they so desire.
Participants are free to use their data as they see fit.
However, all data will be deposited into a national data base, where contributors may make use of the complete data set for any questions they may wish to address. Such an arrangement allows the contributor to make use of a much larger data set in terms of geographic scale and sample size. The project provides an excellent opportunity for teachers to bring a simple research project into the classroom laboratory, as a class can complete a survey of stickleback parasites from one or more sites within the limited time alloted for laboratory sessions. Professors are also encouraged to recruit their graduate students into this national project, so that the next generation of parasitologists will be initiated early into cooperative activities on a national scale. Invitation Introduction Protocol Protocol 1.