Spreading disease through social groupings in competition

Area of Science:

• Ecology
• Epidemiology
• Mathematical Biology

Background:

• Many animal populations form social groups that limit contact with other groups.
• Competition for resources (shelter, land, mates) can arise between these social groups.
• Understanding disease spread within and between groups is crucial for population dynamics.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the interplay between intra-specific group competition and infectious disease dynamics.
• To analyze how contact rates between social groups influence disease transmission and population outcomes.
• To explore the potential for disease to impact intergroup competition and vice versa.

Main Methods:

• Development of a mathematical model using nonlinear systems of ordinary differential equations (ODEs).
• Steady-state analysis of the model, focusing on a simple two-group system.
• Investigation of disease spread dynamics in relation to intergroup contact rates.

Main Results:

• The model predicts that coexistence of social groups with the disease is possible.
• Competitive exclusion can occur, leading to the extinction of one group while the other survives with the disease.
• Multistability, where multiple stable states exist, can arise under certain conditions, impacting ecological outcomes.

Conclusions:

• Intergroup competition significantly influences infectious disease dynamics in social animal populations.
• Disease spread can be a factor in competitive exclusion between social groups.
• The ecological implications of multistability highlight complex interactions between competition and disease in structured populations.