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Disease hotspots or hot species? Infection dynamics in multi-host metacommunities controlled by species identity, not

Mark Q Wilber1, Pieter T J Johnson2, Cheryl J Briggs1

  • 1Ecology, Evolution and Marine Biology, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA, 93106, USA.

Ecology Letters
|May 2, 2020
PubMed

Insights

A single amphibian host species significantly maintains pathogen persistence across landscapes, contributing more than habitat patches. This highlights unequal species and patch roles in disease spread, crucial for effective management.

Area of Science:

  • Ecology
  • Epidemiology
  • Conservation Biology

Background:

  • Pathogen persistence in host communities is influenced by factors across multiple scales, from individual hosts to entire landscapes.
  • Quantifying the relative impact of host species, habitat patches, and landscape connectivity on pathogen persistence remains a challenge.

Discussion:

  • This study developed a theoretical framework to disentangle the influences of host species, habitat patches, and landscape connectivity on pathogen persistence within host-pathogen metacommunities.
  • The framework was applied to assess the contributions of host species composition and habitat patch identity to amphibian pathogen persistence across landscapes.

Key Insights:

  • A single dominant host species was found to maintain the amphibian pathogen in 91% of observed metacommunities.
  • This key host species contributed approximately twice as much to landscape-level pathogen persistence compared to the most influential habitat patch.

Outlook:

  • The findings reveal significant inequalities in how different species and habitat patches contribute to pathogen persistence.
  • Understanding these disparities is critical for developing targeted and effective disease management strategies in wildlife populations.
Keywords:
Batrachochytrium dendrobatidisPseudacris regillachytrid fungusendemichotspotsmaintenance speciesmetacommunitymetapopulatonreservoir speciessource-sink dynamics

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