Multimodal pathogen transmission as a limiting factor in host distribution.
Lawrence H Uricchio1,2, Emily L Bruns3, Michael E Hood4
1Department of Biology, Tufts University, Medford, Massachusetts, USA.
Ecology
|December 13, 2022
Summary
Infectious diseases can limit where species live. This study shows multimodal pathogen transmission in alpine carnations drives population declines and predicts local extinction.
Area of Science:
- Ecology
- Epidemiology
- Evolutionary Biology
Background:
- Theoretical models propose infectious diseases influence host species' spatial distribution.
- Sterilizing pathogens and frequency-dependent transmission may significantly impact species' range limits due to persistent infectious stages and efficacy at low densities.
Purpose of the Study:
- To empirically test the role of infectious diseases in host species' spatial distribution.
- To investigate the impact of multimodal pathogen transmission on host population dynamics and distribution limits.
Main Methods:
- Collected 13-year spatial pathogen prevalence and population abundance data for alpine carnations infected with Microbotryum dianthorum.
- Utilized a stochastic, spatial model incorporating habitat heterogeneity to simulate parasite spread.
- Analyzed host-pathogen dynamics considering both frequency-dependent and density-dependent transmission mechanisms.
Main Results:
- Observed rapid declines in alpine carnation population abundance without a corresponding decrease in pathogen prevalence.
- Found that multimodal pathogen transmission plausibly explains the observed population decline.
- Demonstrated that neither frequency-dependent nor density-dependent transmission alone could account for the observed decline.
Conclusions:
- Multimodal transmission is a critical factor constraining host species distributions.
- High transmission rates observed in this system suggest a high likelihood of eventual local extinction for the host species.
- Empirical evidence supports the significant ecological role of infectious diseases in shaping species' geographic ranges.
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