A guide for ecologists: Detecting the role of disease in faunal declines and managing population recovery

Preece, Noel D.; Abell-Davis, Sandra E.; Grogan, Laura F.; Wayne, Adrian F.; Skerratt, Lee F.; Oosterzee, Penny Van; Shima, Amy L.; Daszak, Peter; Field, Hume; Reiss, Andrea; Berger, Lee; Rymer, Tasmin L.; Fisher, Diana O.; Lawes, Michael J.; Laurance, Susan G.; McCallum, Hamish; Esson, Carol; Epstein, Jonathan H.

doi:10.1016/j.biocon.2017.08.014

Cited by 37 publications

(37 citation statements)

References 102 publications

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“…It is possible that many cases in wild populations go unnoticed (Preece et al 2017), but it is unlikely that events on the scale of those ( Co-infection One case study found FMDV to be a possible predisposing factor (Chandranaik et al 2015). We found that the only HS case of similar magnitude in wild or domestic ungulates was also recorded in saigas (in 1988).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 60%

“…Devastating mass mortality is more often associated with acute epizootic viral diseases such as rinderpest or PPR in ungulates (Preece et al 2017), or similar morbilliviruses in marine mammals (Di Guardo et al 2005). Fungal diseases have been implicated in extremely large MMEs in bats and in amphibians, leading to extinction in some cases (Preece et al 2017). Fungal diseases have been implicated in extremely large MMEs in bats and in amphibians, leading to extinction in some cases (Preece et al 2017).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The fact that many recorded cases of HS in wild ungulate species occurred in managed or farmed populations may reflect stressful living conditions or the fact that these animals are closely monitored. It is possible that many cases in wild populations go unnoticed (Preece et al 2017), but it is unlikely that events on the scale of those ( Co-infection One case study found FMDV to be a possible predisposing factor (Chandranaik et al 2015). Lung parasites are associated with bronchopneumonia cases in reindeer (Skjenneberg 1957, Kummeneje 1976 All cases of pneumonic pasteurellosis involve multiple pathogens, but not all are opportunistic commensals.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…More broadly, of all disease-related mass mortality events in mammals, examples affecting over 10,000 individuals have been recorded in only a handful of cases since the 1950s (Fey et al 2015). Devastating mass mortality is more often associated with acute epizootic viral diseases such as rinderpest or PPR in ungulates (Preece et al 2017), or similar morbilliviruses in marine mammals (Di Guardo et al 2005). These generally involve the introduction of the virus into a naive population, sometime combined with immune suppression by environmental pollutants in marine examples (De Swart et al 1995).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…These generally involve the introduction of the virus into a naive population, sometime combined with immune suppression by environmental pollutants in marine examples (De Swart et al 1995). Fungal diseases have been implicated in extremely large MMEs in bats and in amphibians, leading to extinction in some cases (Preece et al 2017). But very severe MMEs caused by commensal organisms following the action of a stress factor appear to be extremely rare.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Opportunistic bacteria and mass mortality in ungulates: lessons from an extreme event

et al. 2019

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 60%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Opportunistic bacteria and mass mortality in ungulates: lessons from an extreme event

et al. 2019

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Hookworm prevalence in ocelots in Costa Rica is inconsistent with spillover from domestic dogs despite high overlap

Vargas Soto,

Gostic,

Melnycky

et al. 2024

Ecosphere

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Spatial overlap between wildlife and related domestic animals can lead to disease transmission, with substantial evidence for viral and bacterial spillover. Domestic and wild animals can also share potentially harmful helminth parasites, many of which have environmental transmission stages that do not require direct contact between hosts. We used camera traps, fecal sampling, and mathematical modeling to evaluate the potential for hookworm parasites to spillover from domestic dogs to wild cats in the Osa Peninsula, Costa Rica. Traditional microscopy was found to be more sensitive than DNA‐based diagnostics for parasites, though the methods were complementary. We found high hookworm (Ancylostoma spp.) prevalence in domestic dogs (74.2%, 95% CI: 67.0%–80.7%, N = 155), and considerable spatial overlap with ocelots (Leopardus pardalis) and pumas (Puma concolor), particularly on trails and dirt roads. Pumas had hookworm prevalence of 36.4% (18.6%–57.2%, N = 22), and ocelots had 27.3% (7.6%–56.5%, N = 11); however, molecular identification of these parasites was inconclusive. We developed a macroparasite transmission model to infer the likelihood of spillover, compared with separate parasite cycles, or different parasite species in each host. According to the model, spillover of hookworm from dogs would lead to a prevalence of less than 10% in wild hosts. Low presumed compatibility between wild hosts and parasites adapted to domestic species limits the prevalence that could be reached in wild species, even under potentially higher overlap. The prevalence observed was more consistent with a model that assumes hookworms in wild cats in the Osa are a cat‐specific parasite. The combination of parasitology, molecular diagnostics, and mathematical modeling used here could complement wildlife disease monitoring programs worldwide to shed light on understudied helminth–host dynamics at the domestic–wild animal interface.

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Eruptive dynamics are common in managed mammal populations

Duncan

Dexter

Wayne³

et al. 2020

Ecology

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Successful conservation management is often based on the principle that small or declining populations can recover if we identify and remove the factors that caused them to decline in the first place. But what form will that recovery take? Theory tells us that when a strong limiting factor is removed, a population should increase in size to where it becomes limited by some other factor. However, if the subsequent limitation involves feedbacks between the density of a consumer and its resource, there is potential for the consumer population to undergo substantial fluctuations in size that we would characterize as boom-bust or eruptive dynamics. We analysed long-term (7.6-29 yr) data documenting changes in the abundance of 169 populations of 20 mammal species released from a strong limiting factor (fox predation) in Australia. We show that many populations (44) exhibited eruptive dynamics, with exponential increase to a peak and subsequent population decline. Of 51 populations showing eruptive dynamics (the Australian populations plus seven translocated ungulate populations), the time taken for erupting populations to reach a peak before declining was related negatively to the intrinsic rate of population growth and positively to body mass, such that larger-bodied species with slow rates of population growth had a longer period of population increase before declining. Our results suggest that a substantial proportion of populations recovering after removal of a threatening process are likely to exhibit eruptive dynamics, and that managers of recovering or translocated populations should anticipate this outcome in conservation planning.

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A guide for ecologists: Detecting the role of disease in faunal declines and managing population recovery

Cited by 37 publications

References 102 publications

Opportunistic bacteria and mass mortality in ungulates: lessons from an extreme event

Opportunistic bacteria and mass mortality in ungulates: lessons from an extreme event

Hookworm prevalence in ocelots in Costa Rica is inconsistent with spillover from domestic dogs despite high overlap

Eruptive dynamics are common in managed mammal populations

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