Assistant Professor of Biology Sarah Budischak co-authored a paper on the ways in which within-host and external environments differentially shape β-diversity across different parasite life stages. The results of the researchers’ study, which was published in the Journal of Animal Ecology, a publication of the British Ecological Society, provide key comparison data for adults and immature parasites who live in vastly different habitats. This data provide context for both host infection risk and the persistence of adult parasitic assemblages, two contexts that are useful in predicting and preventing infectious diseases.