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Wildlife disease elimination and density dependence.
Alex Potapov1, Evelyn Merrill, Mark A Lewis
1Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. apotapov@ualberta.ca
Proceedings. Biological Sciences
|May 18, 2012
Summary
Population reduction can control wildlife diseases with frequency-dependent (FD) transmission by diluting the pathogen through compensatory growth. Combining culling with vaccination may be less effective than vaccination alone for disease eradication.
Area of Science:
- Wildlife epidemiology
- Disease ecology
- Population dynamics
Background:
- Effective wildlife disease management hinges on understanding transmission dynamics.
- Density-dependent (DD) transmission is often controlled by population reduction, unlike frequency-dependent (FD) transmission.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the efficacy of culling for controlling horizontally transmitted diseases with FD dynamics.
- To analyze the impact of compensatory population growth on disease control.
- To evaluate the combined effects of culling and vaccination.
Main Methods:
- Mathematical modeling of disease transmission with FD dynamics.
- Simulation of non-selective culling and compensatory recruitment/survival.
- Analysis of disease prevalence under different control strategies.
Main Results:
- Culling can eradicate diseases with FD transmission when compensatory growth dilutes the pathogen.
- Compensatory recruitment/survival in response to culling reduces disease prevalence.
- Simultaneous culling and vaccination can be less effective than vaccination alone under high transmission.
Conclusions:
- Population reduction is a viable strategy for managing wildlife diseases with FD transmission.
- Understanding compensatory mechanisms is key to successful disease control.
- Integrated control strategies require careful consideration of potential trade-offs.
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