Deriving spatially explicit direct and indirect interaction networks from animal movement data

Ecology and Evolution, Journal Year: 2023, Volume and Issue: 13(3)

Published: March 1, 2023

Abstract Quantifying spatiotemporally explicit interactions within animal populations facilitates the understanding of social structure and its relationship with ecological processes. Data from tracking technologies (Global Positioning Systems [“GPS”]) can circumvent longstanding challenges in estimation interactions, but discrete nature coarse temporal resolution data mean that ephemeral occur between consecutive GPS locations go undetected. Here, we developed a method to quantify individual spatial patterns interaction using continuous‐time movement models (CTMMs) fit data. We first applied CTMMs infer full trajectories at an arbitrarily fine scale before estimating thus allowing inference occurring observed locations. Our framework then infers indirect interactions—individuals same location, different times—while identification vary context based on CTMM outputs. assessed performance our new simulations illustrated implementation by deriving disease‐relevant networks for two behaviorally differentiated species, wild pigs ( Sus scrofa ) host African Swine Fever mule deer Odocoileus hemionus chronic wasting disease. Simulations showed derived be substantially underestimated when exceeds 30‐min intervals. Empirical application suggested underestimation occurred both rates their distributions. CTMM‐Interaction method, which introduce uncertainties, recovered majority true interactions. leverages advances ecology fine‐scale spatiotemporal individuals lower It leveraged dynamic networks, transmission potential disease systems, consumer–resource information sharing, beyond. The also sets stage future predictive linking environmental drivers.

Language: Английский

---

Desert bighorn sheep home range and disease transmission risk responses to temporally dynamic environmental variation

Journal of Wildlife Management, Journal Year: 2025, Volume and Issue: unknown

Published: Jan. 20, 2025

Abstract Pathogens introduced into wildlife populations can cause population declines and pose a threat to conservation. Understanding how pathogens spread through requires information about animal space use across the landscape. The abundance of bighorn sheep ( Ovis canadensis ) in western North America has declined response concurrently with expansion domestic sheep. Wildlife land management agencies seasonal home range models assess mitigate pathogen transmission risk among populations. Current assessment tools assume that ranges are annually consistent, but extent which deviations from this assumption could render erroneous predictions introduction not received extensive attention. To evaluate influence temporally variable environmental conditions on risk, we used locations desert O. c. nelsoni gathered 6 residing Mojave Desert, an environment characterized by high interannual variation precipitation forage production. Our objectives were whether sizes varied consistently varying attributes using our model results United States Forest Service's Risk Contact (ROC) tool. Home sex season, higher moisture levels (Palmer drought severity index) associated larger male summer fall‐winter. Higher spatial primary productivity was smaller Female also when during spring had no detectable relation or rest year. We combined these ROC tool simulate risk. Those simulations suggested expansions above‐average only increased contact between 2 adjacent 0.02%. Consequently, forecasts Desert system might be relatively robust dynamic sizes, so long as driving size do deviate dramatically historical levels. However, major departures long‐term trends lead more dramatic effects subsequent should reassessed if changes substantially future.

Language: Английский

---

Genomic Biosurveillance of the Kiwifruit Pathogen Pseudomonas syringae pv. actinidiae Biovar 3 Reveals Adaptation to Selective Pressures in New Zealand Orchards

Molecular Plant Pathology, Journal Year: 2025, Volume and Issue: 26(2)

Published: Feb. 1, 2025

In the late 2000s, a pandemic of Pseudomonas syringae pv. actinidiae biovar 3 (Psa3) devastated kiwifruit orchards growing susceptible, yellow-fleshed cultivars. New Zealand's industry has since recovered, following deployment tolerant cultivar 'Zesy002'. However, little is known about extent to which Psa population evolving its arrival. Over 500 Psa3 isolates from Zealand were sequenced between 2010 and 2022, commercial monocultures diverse germplasm collections. While effector loss was previously observed on Psa-resistant vines, appears be rare in orchards, where dominant cultivars lack resistance. new variant, lost hopF1c, arisen. The hopF1c have been mediated by movement integrative conjugative elements introducing copper resistance into this population. Following variant's identification, in-planta pathogenicity competitive fitness assays performed better understand risk likelihood spread. variants had similar growth wild-type Psa3, lab-generated ∆hopF1c strain could outcompete wild type select hosts. Further surveillance conducted these originally isolated, with 6.6% surveyed identified as variants. These findings suggest that spread currently limited, they are unlikely cause more severe symptoms than current Ongoing genome biosurveillance recommended enable early detection management interest.

Language: Английский

---

Spatial Landscape Structure Influences Cross-Species Transmission in a Rabies-like Virus Model

Microorganisms, Journal Year: 2025, Volume and Issue: 13(2), P. 416 - 416

Published: Feb. 14, 2025

In this study, we simulated biologically realistic agent-based models over neutral landscapes to examine how spatial structure affects the spread of a rabies-like virus in two-species system. We built with varying autocorrelation levels and disease dynamics using different transmission rates for intra- interspecies spread. The results were analysed based on combinations landscape structures rates, focusing median number new reservoir spillover cases. found that both viral are key factors determining infected agents epidemiological week when highest cases occurs. While isolated habitat patches elevated carrying capacity pose significant risks transmission, they may also slow compared more connected patches, depending modelled scenario. This study highlights importance cross-species Our findings have implications control strategies suggest future research should focus interact pathogen dynamics, especially those locations where susceptible could be contact pathogens high rates.

Language: Английский

---

How do non-independent host movements affect spatio-temporal disease dynamics? Partitioning the contributions of spatial overlap and correlated movements to transmission risk

Movement Ecology, Journal Year: 2025, Volume and Issue: 13(1)

Published: Feb. 26, 2025

Abstract Background Despite decades of epidemiological theory making relatively simple assumptions about host movements, it is increasingly clear that non-random movements drastically affect disease transmission. To better predict transmission risk, needed quantifies the contributions both fine-scale space use and non-independent, correlated to dynamics. Methods We developed applied new relative non-independent spatio-temporal risk. Our decomposes pairwise risk into two components: (i) spatial overlap hosts—a classic metric – (ii) correlations in a component almost universally ignored. Using analytical results, simulations, empirical movement data, we ask: under what ecological conditions do substantially alter compared overlap? Results simulation, found for directly transmitted pathogens even weak among hosts can increase contact by orders magnitude independent movements. In contrast, had reduced importance indirectly pathogens. Furthermore, if scale pathogen smaller than where social decisions occur, be highly but this correlation matters little our GPS data from white-tailed deer ( Odocoileus virginianus ). approach predicted seasonally varying drivers with interactions augmenting between greater factor 10 some cases, despite similar degrees overlap. Moreover, could lead distinct shift locations hotspots, joint use. Conclusions provides expectations when showing reshape landscapes, creating hotspots whose location are not necessarily predictable

Language: Английский

---

Interplay between harvesting, planting density, and ripening time affects coffee leaf rust dispersal and infection

Theoretical Ecology, Journal Year: 2025, Volume and Issue: 18(1)

Published: March 31, 2025

Language: Английский

---

Season of death, pathogen persistence and wildlife behaviour alter number of anthrax secondary infections from environmental reservoirs

Proceedings of the Royal Society B Biological Sciences, Journal Year: 2024, Volume and Issue: 291(2016)

Published: Feb. 7, 2024

An important part of infectious disease management is predicting factors that influence outbreaks, such as R , the number secondary infections arising from an infected individual. Estimating particularly challenging for environmentally transmitted pathogens given time lags between cases and subsequent infections. Here, we calculated Bacillus anthracis anthrax carcass sites in Etosha National Park, Namibia. Combining host behavioural data, pathogen concentrations simulation models, show spatially temporally variable, driven by spore at death, visitation rates early preference foraging sites. While spores were detected up to a decade after most occurred within 2 years. Transmission simulations under scenarios combining site infectiousness exposure risk different environmental conditions led dramatically outbreak dynamics, extinction ( < 1) explosive outbreaks > 10). These transmission heterogeneities may explain variation dynamics observed globally, more generally, critical importance underlying host–pathogen interactions. Notably, our approach allowed us estimate lethal dose highly virulent non-invasively observational studies epidemiological useful when experiments on wildlife are undesirable or impractical.

Language: Английский

---

An individual-based model for direct and indirect transmission of chronic wasting disease in free-ranging white-tailed deer

Ecological Modelling, Journal Year: 2024, Volume and Issue: 491, P. 110697 - 110697

Published: March 29, 2024

Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is an infectious prion that infects members of the Cervidae family (i.e., deer) resulting in widespread ecological, economic, and recreational ramifications. We introduce a spatially explicit individual-based model (IBM) integrates individual deer movement behavior with population dynamics to forecast CWD populations free-ranging white-tailed (Odocoileus virginianus). use Susceptible-Exposed-Infectious-Dead (S-E-I-D) epidemiological framework explore spatiotemporal within agriculturally dominated area Michigan, USA. The IBM results closely mimicked documented short- long-term Midwestern, applied pattern-oriented modeling using annual apparent prevalence rates reported by Midwestern state wildlife agencies validate model. introduction single infected modeled landscape (93 km2) led outbreak 100 out 350 simulations (29 %); never exceeded 1.47 % for repetitions where ended. For persisted, declined 87 year 50 following initial CWD. Mean (±SD) after 5, 10, 25, years was 1.1 (±1.0 %), 3.4 (±3.3 46.5 (±18.8 51.8 (±18.1 respectively, which highly correlated (r = 0.99) Wisconsin 1–21 post detection. Combined global sensitivity analysis, indicated at 20 most sensitive harvest rate yearling adult female least shedding rate, half-life, group numbers, indicating parameters were more influential than on dynamics. Our serves as tool better understand indirect direct transmission cervid populations. Users this can adjust parameter values how interactions among between their environment affect This also applying assessing temporally management scenarios.

Language: Английский

---

Variability of faecal microbiota and antibiotic resistance genes in flocks of migratory gulls and comparison with the surrounding environment

Environmental Pollution, Journal Year: 2024, Volume and Issue: 359, P. 124563 - 124563

Published: July 15, 2024

Gulls commonly rely on human-generated waste as their primary food source, contributing to the spread of antibiotic-resistant bacteria and resistance genes, both locally globally. Our understanding this process remains incomplete, particularly in relation its potential interaction with surrounding soil water. We studied lesser black-backed gull, Larus fuscus, a model examine spatial variation faecal bacterial communities, antibiotic genes (ARGs), mobile genetic elements (MGEs) relationship water soil. conducted sampling campaigns within connectivity network different flocks gulls moving across functional units (FUs), each which represents module highly interconnected patches habitats used for roosting feeding. The FUs vary habitat use, some using more polluted sites (notably landfills), while others prefer natural environments (e.g., wetlands or beaches). Faecal communities from that visit spend time landfills exhibited higher richness diversity. microbiota showed high compositional overlap was greater when compared landfill (11%) than wetland soils (6%), much lower (2% 1% water, respectively). relative abundance ARGs MGEs were similar between FUs, variations observed only specific families MGEs. When exploring carriage bird faeces compartments, gull enriched classified High-Risk. results shed light complex dynamics wild populations, providing insights into interactions among movement feeding behavior, characteristics, dissemination determinants environmental reservoirs.

Language: Английский

---

The influence of social and spatial processes on the epidemiology of environmentally transmitted pathogens in wildlife: implications for management

Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B Biological Sciences, Journal Year: 2024, Volume and Issue: 379(1912)

Published: Sept. 4, 2024

Social and spatial structures of host populations play important roles in pathogen transmission. For environmentally transmitted pathogens, the space use interacts with both social structure pathogen’s environmental persistence (which determines time-lag across which two hosts can transmit). Together, these factors shape epidemiological dynamics pathogens. While importance has long been recognized epidemiology, they are often considered separately. A better understanding how interact to determine disease is required for developing robust surveillance management strategies. Here, we a simple agent-based model where vary mobility (spatial), gregariousness (social) decay (environmental persistence), each from low high levels uncover affect dynamics. By comparing epidemic peak, time peak final size, show that longer infectious periods, higher group mobility, larger size lead larger, faster growing outbreaks, explore processes outcomes such as size. We identify general principles be used planning control wildlife host–pathogen systems transmission range behaviour, rates. This article part theme issue ‘The spatial–social interface: theoretical empirical integration’.

Language: Английский

---