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Related Experiment Videos

Should we expect population thresholds for wildlife disease?

James O Lloyd-Smith1, Paul C Cross, Cheryl J Briggs

  • 1Department of Environmental Science, Policy and Management, University of California at Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720-3114, USA. jls@nature.berkeley.edu

Trends in Ecology & Evolution
|May 17, 2006
PubMed
Summary

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Understanding disease thresholds in wildlife is crucial for effective disease control. Empirical evidence shows these thresholds are complex and hard to measure, suggesting management should focus on reducing host populations rather than solely on threshold targets.

Area of Science:

  • Disease ecology
  • Wildlife health
  • Infectious disease dynamics

Background:

  • Host population thresholds are fundamental to understanding infectious disease spread and persistence.
  • Disease control strategies like culling and vaccination rely on these threshold concepts.
  • Empirical data on disease thresholds in wildlife populations have historically been limited.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review the theoretical foundations of disease thresholds in wildlife.
  • To evaluate the existing empirical evidence for disease thresholds in wildlife.
  • To identify challenges in measuring and applying disease threshold concepts in wildlife ecology.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review of theoretical models on disease thresholds.
  • Synthesis of empirical studies investigating disease thresholds in wildlife.

Related Experiment Videos

  • Analysis of common obstacles in wildlife disease threshold research.

    • Main Results:

    • Disease thresholds are typically not abrupt and are challenging to quantify empirically.
    • Current theoretical models often overlook critical aspects of wildlife ecology.
    • Small sample sizes and confounding variables present significant hurdles for empirical studies.
    • Threshold-based disease control policies in wildlife are often not well-supported by evidence.

    Conclusions:

    • Disease thresholds in wildlife are complex and difficult to ascertain.
    • Management strategies should prioritize reducing susceptible host abundance over strict adherence to theoretical thresholds.
    • Further research is needed to refine theoretical models and improve empirical methodologies for wildlife disease ecology.