Primate disease ecology in comparative and theoretical perspective

Area of Science:

• Primate disease ecology
• Phylogenetic comparative approaches
• Epidemiological mechanisms

Background:

• Infectious diseases significantly impact wild primates.
• Recent advances have improved understanding of primate disease ecology.
• Phylogenetic comparative approaches have yielded key findings on parasite richness.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review key findings in primate disease ecology.
• To explore underlying epidemiological mechanisms driving phylogenetic patterns.
• To discuss the role of theoretical models in understanding primate parasitism.

Main Methods:

• Phylogenetic comparative analyses using the Global Mammal Parasite Database.
• Spatially explicit agent-based modeling to investigate range use intensity and helminth parasite richness.
• Network modeling of disease spread to analyze sociality and group size effects on parasitism.

Main Results:

• Positive association found between range use intensity and helminth parasite richness.
• Agent-based models suggest range use intensity increases parasite exposure and prevalence.
• Social network models indicate larger, subdivided social groups may slow disease spread, potentially offsetting increased risk.

Conclusions:

• Theoretical models provide valuable insights into epidemiological drivers of primate parasite richness.
• Further meta-analyses and integration of theoretical modeling with field research are needed.
• Understanding disease dynamics in wild primates requires exploring both individual-level phenomena and population-level patterns.