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Sexually transmitted infections and mate-finding Allee effects
Luděk Berec1, Eva Janoušková2, Michal Theuer2
1Department of Ecology, Institute of Entomology, Biology Centre CAS, Branišovská 31, 37005 České Budějovice, Czech Republic; Institute of Mathematics and Biomathematics, Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, Branišovská 1760, 37005 České Budějovice, Czech Republic.
Theoretical Population Biology
|January 1, 2017
Summary
This study models how sexually transmitted infections and mate-finding Allee effects impact animal populations. Complex dynamics, including extinction, arise, particularly at intermediate virulence levels for the feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV).
Area of Science:
- Ecology
- Epidemiology
- Mathematical Biology
Background:
- Infectious diseases significantly influence host population dynamics.
- Mate-finding Allee effects can limit population growth due to reduced mating success at low densities.
- The interplay between disease and Allee effects is crucial for understanding population viability.
Purpose of the Study:
- To model and analyze the dynamics of a sexually transmitted infection in a host population experiencing a mate-finding Allee effect.
- To investigate how the Allee effect influences infection transmission rates.
- To identify conditions leading to complex population dynamics, including oscillations and host extinction.
Main Methods:
- Development of a mathematical model integrating a sexually transmitted infection with a mate-finding Allee effect.
- Analysis of model dynamics, including equilibrium stability, oscillations, multistability, and bifurcations.
- Application of the model to the feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) in domestic cats.
Main Results:
- The combined model exhibits rich dynamics such as oscillations, multistability, and extinction.
- Infection transmission rate takes a saturating form due to the Allee effect.
- Host extinction is observed at intermediate virulence levels and lower Allee effect strengths.
- A mechanism involving destabilization, oscillation growth, and heteroclinic bifurcation underlies extinction.
Conclusions:
- The interaction between sexually transmitted infections and Allee effects can lead to complex and potentially severe population consequences.
- Understanding these dynamics is critical for managing wildlife populations affected by disease.
- The model provides insights applicable to real-world scenarios like feline immunodeficiency virus in domestic cats.
Keywords:
Allee effectAsymptotic incidenceBifurcationMatingReproduction–transmission consistencySexually transmitted diseaseMore Related Videos
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