1
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Kaur P, Ciuti S, Ossi F, Cagnacci F, Morellet N, Loison A, Atmeh K, McLoughlin P, Reinking AK, Beck JL, Ortega AC, Kauffman M, Boyce MS, Haigh A, David A, Griffin LL, Conteddu K, Faull J, Salter-Townshend M. A protocol for assessing bias and robustness of social network metrics using GPS based radio-telemetry data. MOVEMENT ECOLOGY 2024; 12:55. [PMID: 39107862 PMCID: PMC11304672 DOI: 10.1186/s40462-024-00494-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2024] [Accepted: 07/15/2024] [Indexed: 08/10/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Social network analysis of animal societies allows scientists to test hypotheses about social evolution, behaviour, and dynamic processes. However, the accuracy of estimated metrics depends on data characteristics like sample proportion, sample size, and frequency. A protocol is needed to assess for bias and robustness of social network metrics estimated for the animal populations especially when a limited number of individuals are monitored. METHODS We used GPS telemetry datasets of five ungulate species to combine known social network approaches with novel ones into a comprehensive five-step protocol. To quantify the bias and uncertainty in the network metrics obtained from a partial population, we presented novel statistical methods which are particularly suited for autocorrelated data, such as telemetry relocations. The protocol was validated using a sixth species, the fallow deer, with a known population size where ∼ 85 % of the individuals have been directly monitored. RESULTS Through the protocol, we demonstrated how pre-network data permutations allow researchers to assess non-random aspects of interactions within a population. The protocol assesses bias in global network metrics, obtains confidence intervals, and quantifies uncertainty of global and node-level network metrics based on the number of nodes in the network. We found that global network metrics like density remained robust even with a lowered sample size, while local network metrics like eigenvector centrality were unreliable for four of the species. The fallow deer network showed low uncertainty and bias even at lower sampling proportions, indicating the importance of a thoroughly sampled population while demonstrating the accuracy of our evaluation methods for smaller samples. CONCLUSIONS The protocol allows researchers to analyse GPS-based radio-telemetry or other data to determine the reliability of social network metrics. The estimates enable the statistical comparison of networks under different conditions, such as analysing daily and seasonal changes in the density of a network. The methods can also guide methodological decisions in animal social network research, such as sampling design and allow more accurate ecological inferences from the available data. The R package aniSNA enables researchers to implement this workflow on their dataset, generating reliable inferences and guiding methodological decisions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Prabhleen Kaur
- School of Mathematics and Statistics, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland.
| | - Simone Ciuti
- Laboratory of Wildlife Ecology and Behaviour, School of Biology and Environmental Sciences, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Federico Ossi
- Animal Ecology Unit, Research and Innovation Center (CRI), Fondazione Edmund Mach, San Michele all'Adige, Italy
- NBFC, National Biodiversity Future Center, 90133, Palermo, Italy
| | - Francesca Cagnacci
- Animal Ecology Unit, Research and Innovation Center (CRI), Fondazione Edmund Mach, San Michele all'Adige, Italy
- NBFC, National Biodiversity Future Center, 90133, Palermo, Italy
| | - Nicolas Morellet
- INRAE, CEFS, Université de Toulouse, Castanet-Tolosan, 31326, France
- LTSER ZA PYRénées GARonne, Auzeville-Tolosane, 31320, France
| | - Anne Loison
- Alpine Ecology Laboratory, Savoie Mont Blanc University, Chambéry, France
| | - Kamal Atmeh
- Biometrics and Evolutionary Biology Laboratory, Claude Bernard University Lyon 1, Lyon, France
| | - Philip McLoughlin
- Department of Biology, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Canada
| | - Adele K Reinking
- Cooperative Institute for Research in the Atmosphere, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, USA
- Department of Ecosystem Science and Management, University of Wyoming, Laramie, USA
- Graduate Degree Program in Ecology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, USA
- Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, USA
| | - Jeffrey L Beck
- Department of Ecosystem Science and Management, University of Wyoming, Laramie, USA
| | - Anna C Ortega
- Program in Ecology, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY, 82071, USA
- Wyoming Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, Department of Zoology and Physiology, University of Wyoming, Laramie, USA
| | - Matthew Kauffman
- U.S. Geological Survey, Wyoming Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, Laramie, USA
- Wyoming Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, Department of Zoology and Physiology, University of Wyoming, Laramie, USA
| | - Mark S Boyce
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, T6G 2R3, Canada
| | - Amy Haigh
- Laboratory of Wildlife Ecology and Behaviour, School of Biology and Environmental Sciences, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Anna David
- Laboratory of Wildlife Ecology and Behaviour, School of Biology and Environmental Sciences, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Laura L Griffin
- Laboratory of Wildlife Ecology and Behaviour, School of Biology and Environmental Sciences, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Kimberly Conteddu
- Laboratory of Wildlife Ecology and Behaviour, School of Biology and Environmental Sciences, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Jane Faull
- Laboratory of Wildlife Ecology and Behaviour, School of Biology and Environmental Sciences, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
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2
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Kuenzi AJ, Luis AD. Food availability leads to more connected contact networks among peridomestic zoonotic reservoir hosts. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2023; 10:230809. [PMID: 38026027 PMCID: PMC10646467 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.230809] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2023] [Accepted: 10/18/2023] [Indexed: 12/01/2023]
Abstract
The North American deermouse (Peromyscus maniculatus) is a reservoir host for many zoonotic pathogens. Deermice have been well studied, but few studies have attempted to understand social interactions within the species despite these interactions being key to understanding disease transmission. We performed an experiment to determine if supplemental food or nesting material affected social interactions of deermice and tested if interactions increased with increasing population density. We constructed three simulated buildings that received one of three treatments: food, nesting material, or control. Mice were tagged with passive integrated transponder (PIT) tags, and their movement in and out of buildings was monitored with PIT tag readers. PIT tag readings were used to create contact networks, assuming a contact if two deermice were in the same building at the same time. We found that buildings with food led to contact networks that were approximately 10 times more connected than buildings with nesting material or control buildings. We also saw a significant effect of population density on the average number of contacts per individual. These results suggest that food supplementation which is common in peridomestic settings, can significantly increase contacts between reservoir hosts, potentially leading to increased transmission of zoonotic viruses within the reservoir host and from reservoir hosts to humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amy J. Kuenzi
- Department of Biology, Montana Technological University, 1300 Park Street, Butte, MT 59701, USA
| | - Angela D. Luis
- Department of Ecosystem and Conservation Sciences, University of Montana, Missoula, MT 59812, USA
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3
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Egan ME, Pepin KM, Fischer JW, Hygnstrom SE, VerCauteren KC, Bastille‐Rousseau G. Social network analysis of white‐tailed deer scraping behavior: Implications for disease transmission. Ecosphere 2023. [DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.4434] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/22/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Michael E. Egan
- Cooperative Wildlife Research Laboratory Southern Illinois University Carbondale Illinois USA
- School of Biological Sciences Southern Illinois University Carbondale Illinois USA
| | - Kim M. Pepin
- National Wildlife Research Center United States Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Services, Wildlife Service Fort Collins Colorado USA
| | - Justin W. Fischer
- National Wildlife Research Center United States Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Services, Wildlife Service Fort Collins Colorado USA
| | - Scott E. Hygnstrom
- Wisconsin Center for Wildlife College of Natural Resources, University of Wisconsin‐Stevens Point Stevens Point Wisconsin USA
| | - Kurt C. VerCauteren
- National Wildlife Research Center United States Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Services, Wildlife Service Fort Collins Colorado USA
| | - Guillaume Bastille‐Rousseau
- Cooperative Wildlife Research Laboratory Southern Illinois University Carbondale Illinois USA
- School of Biological Sciences Southern Illinois University Carbondale Illinois USA
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4
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He P, Klarevas‐Irby JA, Papageorgiou D, Christensen C, Strauss ED, Farine DR. A guide to sampling design for
GPS
‐based studies of animal societies. Methods Ecol Evol 2022. [DOI: 10.1111/2041-210x.13999] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Peng He
- Department of Collective Behaviour Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior Constance Germany
- Centre for the Advanced Study of Collective Behaviour University of Konstanz Constance Germany
- Department of Biology University of Konstanz Constance Germany
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Science University of Zurich Zurich Switzerland
| | - James A. Klarevas‐Irby
- Centre for the Advanced Study of Collective Behaviour University of Konstanz Constance Germany
- Department of Biology University of Konstanz Constance Germany
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Science University of Zurich Zurich Switzerland
- Department of Migration Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior Radolfzell Germany
- Mpala Research Centre Nanyuki Kenya
| | - Danai Papageorgiou
- Department of Collective Behaviour Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior Constance Germany
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Science University of Zurich Zurich Switzerland
| | - Charlotte Christensen
- Department of Collective Behaviour Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior Constance Germany
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Science University of Zurich Zurich Switzerland
- Mpala Research Centre Nanyuki Kenya
| | - Eli D. Strauss
- Department of Collective Behaviour Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior Constance Germany
- Centre for the Advanced Study of Collective Behaviour University of Konstanz Constance Germany
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Science University of Zurich Zurich Switzerland
| | - Damien R. Farine
- Department of Collective Behaviour Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior Constance Germany
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Science University of Zurich Zurich Switzerland
- Division of Ecology and Evolution, Research School of Biology Australian National University Canberra Australia
- Department of Ornithology National Museums of Kenya Nairobi Kenya
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5
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Wanelik KM, Farine DR. A new method for characterising shared space use networks using animal trapping data. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2022; 76:127. [PMID: 36042847 PMCID: PMC9418289 DOI: 10.1007/s00265-022-03222-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2021] [Revised: 07/25/2022] [Accepted: 07/28/2022] [Indexed: 12/03/2022]
Abstract
Abstract Studying the social behaviour of small or cryptic species often relies on constructing networks from sparse point-based observations of individuals (e.g. live trapping data). A common approach assumes that individuals that have been detected sequentially in the same trapping location will also be more likely to have come into indirect and/or direct contact. However, there is very little guidance on how much data are required for making robust networks from such data. In this study, we highlight that sequential trap sharing networks broadly capture shared space use (and, hence, the potential for contact) and that it may be more parsimonious to directly model shared space use. We first use empirical data to show that characteristics of how animals use space can help us to establish new ways to model the potential for individuals to come into contact. We then show that a method that explicitly models individuals’ home ranges and subsequent overlap in space among individuals (spatial overlap networks) requires fewer data for inferring observed networks that are more strongly correlated with the true shared space use network (relative to sequential trap sharing networks). Furthermore, we show that shared space use networks based on estimating spatial overlap are also more powerful for detecting biological effects. Finally, we discuss when it is appropriate to make inferences about social interactions from shared space use. Our study confirms the potential for using sparse trapping data from cryptic species to address a range of important questions in ecology and evolution. Significance statement Characterising animal social networks requires repeated (co-)observations of individuals. Collecting sufficient data to characterise the connections among individuals represents a major challenge when studying cryptic organisms—such as small rodents. This study draws from existing spatial mark-recapture data to inspire an approach that constructs networks by estimating space use overlap (representing the potential for contact). We then use simulations to demonstrate that the method provides consistently higher correlations between inferred (or observed) networks and the true underlying network compared to current approaches and requires fewer observations to reach higher correlations. We further demonstrate that these improvements translate to greater network accuracy and to more power for statistical hypothesis testing. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s00265-022-03222-5.
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6
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Clements SJ, Zhao Q, Silk MJ, Hodgson DJ, Weegman MD. Modelling associations between animal social structure and demography. Anim Behav 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2022.03.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/01/2022]
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7
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Sociocentric SNA on fuzzy graph social network model. Soft comput 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s00500-022-06961-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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8
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Jordán F, Kovács B, Verdolin JL. Resource availability influences global social network properties in Gunnison’s prairie dogs (Cynomys gunnisoni). BEHAVIOUR 2021. [DOI: 10.1163/1568539x-bja10118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
Increasingly we are discovering that the interactions between individuals within social groups can be quite complex and flexible. Social network analysis offers a toolkit to describe and quantify social structure, the patterns we observe, and evaluate the social and environmental factors that shape group dynamics. Here, we used 14 Gunnison’s prairie dogs networks to evaluate how resource availability and network size influenced four global properties of the networks (centralization, clustering, average path length, small word index). Our results suggest a positive correlation between overall network cohesion and resource availability, such that networks became less centralized and cliquish as biomass/m2 availability decreased. We also discovered that network size modulates the link between social interactions and resource availability and is consistent with a more ‘decentralized’ group. This study highlights the importance of how individuals modify social cohesions and network connectedness as a way to reduce intragroup competition under different ecological conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ferenc Jordán
- Balaton Limnological Institute, Centre for Ecological Research, Tihany, Hungary
- Evolutionary Systems Research Group, Centre for Ecological Research, Tihany, Hungary
| | | | - Jennifer L. Verdolin
- School of Natural Resources and Environment, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA
- Department of Biology, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
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9
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Fielding HR, Silk MJ, McKinley TJ, Delahay RJ, Wilson-Aggarwal JK, Gauvin L, Ozella L, Cattuto C, McDonald RA. Spatial and temporal variation in proximity networks of commercial dairy cattle in Great Britain. Prev Vet Med 2021; 194:105443. [PMID: 34352518 PMCID: PMC8385416 DOI: 10.1016/j.prevetmed.2021.105443] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/14/2021] [Revised: 07/15/2021] [Accepted: 07/18/2021] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
Abstract
The nature of contacts between hosts can be important in facilitating or impeding the spread of pathogens within a population. Networks constructed from contacts between hosts allow examination of how individual variation might influence the spread of infections. Studying the contact networks of livestock species managed under different conditions can additionally provide insight into their influence on these contact structures. We collected high-resolution proximity and GPS location data from nine groups of domestic cattle (mean group size = 85) in seven dairy herds employing a range of grazing and housing regimes. Networks were constructed from cattle contacts (defined by proximity) aggregated by different temporal windows (2 h, 24 h, and approximately 1 week) and by location within the farm. Networks of contacts aggregated over the whole study were highly saturated but dividing contacts by space and time revealed substantial variation in cattle interactions. Cows showed statistically significant variation in the frequency of their contacts and in the number of cows with which they were in contact. When cows were in buildings, compared to being on pasture, contact durations were longer and cows contacted more other cows. A small number of cows showed evidence of consistent relationships but the majority of cattle did not. In one group where management allowed free access to all farm areas, cows showed asynchronous space use and, while at pasture, contacted fewer other cows and showed substantially greater between-individual variation in contacts than other groups. We highlight the degree to which variations in management (e.g. grazing access, milking routine) substantially alter cattle contact patterns, with potentially major implications for infection transmission and social interactions. In particular, where individual cows have free choice of their environment, the resulting contact networks may have a less-risky structure that could reduce the likelihood of direct transmission of infections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Helen R Fielding
- Environment and Sustainability Institute, University of Exeter, Penryn Campus, Penryn, TR10 9FE, UK
| | - Matthew J Silk
- Environment and Sustainability Institute, University of Exeter, Penryn Campus, Penryn, TR10 9FE, UK
| | | | - Richard J Delahay
- National Wildlife Management Centre, Animal and Plant Health Agency, Sand Hutton, York, YO41 1LZ, UK
| | - Jared K Wilson-Aggarwal
- Environment and Sustainability Institute, University of Exeter, Penryn Campus, Penryn, TR10 9FE, UK
| | | | - Laura Ozella
- ISI Foundation, Via Chisola 5, 10126, Torino, Italy
| | - Ciro Cattuto
- ISI Foundation, Via Chisola 5, 10126, Torino, Italy; Computer Science Department, University of Turin, Corso Svizzera 185, 10149, Torino, Italy
| | - Robbie A McDonald
- Environment and Sustainability Institute, University of Exeter, Penryn Campus, Penryn, TR10 9FE, UK.
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10
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Fernandes FR, da Silva Abreu S, Cruz LD. Transmission networks and ectoparasite mite burdens in Oecomys paricola (Rodentia: Cricetidae). Parasitology 2021; 148:443-450. [PMID: 33256864 PMCID: PMC11010056 DOI: 10.1017/s0031182020002231] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2020] [Revised: 11/03/2020] [Accepted: 11/24/2020] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Abstract
The host contact network structure results from the movement and behaviour of hosts (e.g. degree of sociability; vagility and greater or lesser fidelity of shelters), which can generate heterogeneity in the transmission of parasites and influence the parasitic burden of individual hosts. In the current study, we tested the hypothesis that the burdens of Gigantolaelaps oudemansi mites are related to the characteristics of the transmission networks of individuals of Oecomys paricola, a solitary rodent. The study was carried out in a savannah habitat in north-eastern Brazil. In the dry season, the rodent network presented sub-groups of rodent individuals interacting with each other, whereas in the wet season, no modules were formed in the network. Mite burden was positively related to the number of connections that an individual host had with other host individuals in the dry season. The pairwise absolute difference between the mean mite burdens among individual rodents was negatively correlated with the similarities of node interactions. No relationships were observed during the wet season. There was a higher heterogeneity of mite burden among hosts in the dry season compare to that in the wet season. In solitary species, spatial organization may show seasonal variation, causing a change in the opportunities of host contacts, thereby influencing the transmission and dispersion of their ectoparasite burdens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fernanda Rodrigues Fernandes
- Departamento de Biologia, Universidade Federal do Maranhão, Centro de Ciências Biológicas e da Saúde, Avenida dos Portugueses, 1966, Bacanga, 65080805, São Luís, Maranhão, Brazil
| | - Somayra da Silva Abreu
- Programa de Pós-graduação em Biodiversidade e Conservação, Universidade Federal do Maranhão, Centro de Ciências Biológicas e da Saúde, Avenida dos Portugueses, 1966, Bacanga, 65080805, São Luís, Maranhão, Brazil
| | - Leonardo Dominici Cruz
- Departamento de Biologia, Universidade Federal do Maranhão, Centro de Ciências Biológicas e da Saúde, Avenida dos Portugueses, 1966, Bacanga, 65080805, São Luís, Maranhão, Brazil
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11
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Russell RE, Walsh DP, Samuel MD, Grunnill MD, Rocke TE. Space matters: host spatial structure and the dynamics of plague transmission. Ecol Modell 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2021.109450] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/14/2023]
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12
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Brandell EE, Fountain-Jones NM, Gilbertson ML, Cross PC, Hudson PJ, Smith DW, Stahler DR, Packer C, Craft ME. Group density, disease, and season shape territory size and overlap of social carnivores. J Anim Ecol 2021; 90:87-101. [PMID: 32654133 PMCID: PMC9844152 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.13294] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2019] [Accepted: 05/22/2020] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
The spatial organization of a population can influence the spread of information, behaviour and pathogens. Group territory size and territory overlap and components of spatial organization, provide key information as these metrics may be indicators of habitat quality, resource dispersion, contact rates and environmental risk (e.g. indirectly transmitted pathogens). Furthermore, sociality and behaviour can also shape space use, and subsequently, how space use and habitat quality together impact demography. Our study aims to identify factors shaping the spatial organization of wildlife populations and assess the impact of epizootics on space use. We further aim to explore the mechanisms by which disease perturbations could cause changes in spatial organization. Here we assessed the seasonal spatial organization of Serengeti lions and Yellowstone wolves at the group level. We use network analysis to describe spatial organization and connectivity of social groups. We then examine the factors predicting mean territory size and mean territory overlap for each population using generalized additive models. We demonstrate that lions and wolves were similar in that group-level factors, such as number of groups and shaped spatial organization more than population-level factors, such as population density. Factors shaping territory size were slightly different than factors shaping territory overlap; for example, wolf pack size was an important predictor of territory overlap, but not territory size. Lion spatial networks were more highly connected, while wolf spatial networks varied seasonally. We found that resource dispersion may be more important for driving territory size and overlap for wolves than for lions. Additionally, canine distemper epizootics may have altered lion spatial organization, highlighting the importance of including infectious disease epizootics in studies of behavioural and movement ecology. We provide insight about when we might expect to observe the impacts of resource dispersion, disease perturbations, and other ecological factors on spatial organization. Our work highlights the importance of monitoring and managing social carnivore populations at the group level. Future research should elucidate the complex relationships between demographics, social and spatial structure, abiotic and biotic conditions and pathogen infections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ellen E. Brandell
- Center for Infectious Disease Dynamics & Department of Biology, Huck Institute for Life Sciences, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, USA 16802
| | | | - Marie L.J. Gilbertson
- Department of Veterinary Population Medicine, University of Minnesota, St Paul, Minnesota 55108
| | - Paul C. Cross
- U.S. Geological Survey, Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center, Bozeman, Montana, USA 59715
| | - Peter J. Hudson
- Center for Infectious Disease Dynamics & Department of Biology, Huck Institute for Life Sciences, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, USA 16802
| | - Douglas W. Smith
- Yellowstone Center for Resources, Wolf Project, P.O. Box 168, Yellowstone National Park, WY 82190, USA
| | - Daniel R. Stahler
- Yellowstone Center for Resources, Wolf Project, P.O. Box 168, Yellowstone National Park, WY 82190, USA
| | - Craig Packer
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, University of Minnesota, St Paul, Minnesota 55108
| | - Meggan E. Craft
- Department of Veterinary Population Medicine, University of Minnesota, St Paul, Minnesota 55108
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13
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Ossi F, Ranc N, Moorcroft P, Bonanni P, Cagnacci F. Ecological and Behavioral Drivers of Supplemental Feeding Use by Roe Deer Capreolus capreolus in a Peri-Urban Context. Animals (Basel) 2020; 10:E2088. [PMID: 33182794 PMCID: PMC7698021 DOI: 10.3390/ani10112088] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2020] [Revised: 11/05/2020] [Accepted: 11/06/2020] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Winter supplemental feeding of ungulates potentially alters their use of resources and ecological interactions, yet relatively little is known about the patterns of feeding sites use by target populations. We used camera traps to continuously monitor winter and spring feeding site use in a roe deer population living in a peri-urban area in Northern Italy. We combined circular statistics with generalized additive and linear mixed models to analyze the diel and seasonal pattern of roe deer visits to feeding sites, and the behavioral drivers influencing visit duration. Roe deer visits peaked at dawn and dusk, and decreased from winter to spring when vegetation regrows and temperature increases. Roe deer mostly visited feeding sites solitarily; when this was not the case, they stayed longer at the site, especially when conspecifics were eating, but maintained a bimodal diel pattern of visits. These results support an opportunistic use of feeding sites, following seasonal cycles and the roe deer circadian clock. Yet, the attractiveness of these artificial resources has the potential to alter intra-specific relationships, as competition for their use induces gatherings and may extend the contact time between individuals, with potential behavioral and epidemiological consequences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Federico Ossi
- Centro Agricoltura Alimenti Ambiente, Università degli Studi di Trento, Via Edmund Mach 1, 38010 San Michele all’Adige, Italy
- Department of Biodiversity and Molecular Ecology, Research and Innovation Centre, Fondazione Edmund Mach, Via E. Mach 1, 38010 San Michele all’Adige, Italy; (N.R.); (P.B.); (F.C.)
| | - Nathan Ranc
- Department of Biodiversity and Molecular Ecology, Research and Innovation Centre, Fondazione Edmund Mach, Via E. Mach 1, 38010 San Michele all’Adige, Italy; (N.R.); (P.B.); (F.C.)
- Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, 26 Oxford Street, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA;
| | - Paul Moorcroft
- Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, 26 Oxford Street, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA;
| | - Priscilla Bonanni
- Department of Biodiversity and Molecular Ecology, Research and Innovation Centre, Fondazione Edmund Mach, Via E. Mach 1, 38010 San Michele all’Adige, Italy; (N.R.); (P.B.); (F.C.)
- Department of Animal and Human Biology, University of Rome “La Sapienza”, Viale dell’Università 32, 00185 Rome, Italy
| | - Francesca Cagnacci
- Department of Biodiversity and Molecular Ecology, Research and Innovation Centre, Fondazione Edmund Mach, Via E. Mach 1, 38010 San Michele all’Adige, Italy; (N.R.); (P.B.); (F.C.)
- Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, 26 Oxford Street, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA;
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14
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Silk MJ, McDonald RA, Delahay RJ, Padfield D, Hodgson DJ. CMR
net
: An
r
package to derive networks of social interactions and movement from mark–recapture data. Methods Ecol Evol 2020. [DOI: 10.1111/2041-210x.13502] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Matthew J. Silk
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation University of Exeter Penryn Campus Cornwall UK
- Environment and Sustainability Institute University of Exeter Penryn Campus Cornwall UK
| | - Robbie A. McDonald
- Environment and Sustainability Institute University of Exeter Penryn Campus Cornwall UK
| | | | - Daniel Padfield
- Environment and Sustainability Institute University of Exeter Penryn Campus Cornwall UK
| | - David J. Hodgson
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation University of Exeter Penryn Campus Cornwall UK
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15
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Webber QMR, Willis CKR. Personality affects dynamics of an experimental pathogen in little brown bats. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2020; 7:200770. [PMID: 33047038 PMCID: PMC7540777 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.200770] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2020] [Accepted: 08/19/2020] [Indexed: 05/13/2023]
Abstract
Host behaviour can affect host-pathogen dynamics and theory predicts that certain individuals disproportionately infect conspecifics during an epidemic. Consistent individual differences in behaviour, or personality, could influence this variation with the most exploratory or sociable individuals most likely to spread pathogens. We quantified exploration and sociability in little brown bats (Myotis lucifugus) and then experimentally manipulated exposure to a proxy pathogen (i.e. ultraviolet (UV) fluorescent powder) to test two related hypotheses: (i) more sociable and more exploratory individuals would be more likely to transmit infections to other individuals, and (ii) more sociable and more exploratory individuals uninfected with an invading pathogen would be more likely to acquire infections. We captured 10 groups of 16 bats at a time and held each group in an outdoor flight tent equipped with roosting-boxes. We used hole-board and Y-maze tests to quantify exploration and sociability of each bat and randomly selected one individual from each group for 'infection' with non-toxic, UV fluorescent powder. Each group of 10 bats was released into the flight tent for 24 h, which represented an experimental infection trial. After 24 h, we removed bats from the trial, photographed each individual under UV light and quantified infection intensity from digital photographs. As predicted, the exploratory behaviour of the experimentally infected individual was positively correlated with infection intensity in their group-mates, while more exploratory females had higher pathogen acquisition. Our results highlight the potential influence of host personality and sex on pathogen dynamics in wildlife populations.
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16
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Webber QMR, Vander Wal E. Heterogeneity in social network connections is density-dependent: implications for disease dynamics in a gregarious ungulate. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2020. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-020-02860-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
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17
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Gilbertson MLJ, White LA, Craft ME. Trade-offs with telemetry-derived contact networks for infectious disease studies in wildlife. Methods Ecol Evol 2020; 12:76-87. [PMID: 33692875 DOI: 10.1111/2041-210x.13355] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Network analysis of infectious disease in wildlife can reveal traits or individuals critical to pathogen transmission and help inform disease management strategies. However, estimates of contact between animals are notoriously difficult to acquire. Researchers commonly use telemetry technologies to identify animal associations; but such data may have different sampling intervals and often captures a small subset of the population. The objectives of this study were to outline best practices for telemetry sampling in network studies of infectious disease by determining (1) the consequences of telemetry sampling on our ability to estimate network structure, (2) whether contact networks can be approximated using purely spatial contact definitions, and (3) how wildlife spatial configurations may influence telemetry sampling requirements.We simulated individual movement trajectories for wildlife populations using a home range-like movement model, creating full location datasets and corresponding "complete" networks. To mimic telemetry data, we created "sample" networks by subsampling the population (10-100% of individuals) with a range of sampling intervals (every minute to every three days). We varied the definition of contact for sample networks, using either spatiotemporal or spatial overlap, and varied the spatial configuration of populations (random, lattice, or clustered). To compare complete and sample networks, we calculated seven network metrics important for disease transmission and assessed mean ranked correlation coefficients and percent error between complete and sample network metrics.Telemetry sampling severely reduced our ability to calculate global node-level network metrics, but had less impact on local and network-level metrics. Even so, in populations with infrequent associations, high intensity telemetry sampling may still be necessary. Defining contact in terms of spatial overlap generally resulted in overly connected networks, but in some instances, could compensate for otherwise coarse telemetry data.By synthesizing movement and disease ecology with computational approaches, we characterized trade-offs important for using wildlife telemetry data beyond ecological studies of individual movement, and found that careful use of telemetry data has the potential to inform network models. Thus, with informed application of telemetry data, we can make significant advances in leveraging its use for a better understanding and management of wildlife infectious disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marie L J Gilbertson
- Veterinary Population Medicine Department, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN, USA
| | - Lauren A White
- National Socio-Environmental Synthesis Center, Annapolis, MD, USA
| | - Meggan E Craft
- Veterinary Population Medicine Department, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN, USA
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18
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Dorning J, Harris S. Understanding the intricacy of canid social systems: Structure and temporal stability of red fox (Vulpes vulpes) groups. PLoS One 2019; 14:e0220792. [PMID: 31509536 PMCID: PMC6738593 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0220792] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2018] [Accepted: 07/23/2019] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Red foxes have a highly flexible social system. Despite numerous studies worldwide, our understanding of the pattern and stability of fox social relationships remains limited. We applied social network analysis to camera trap data collected at high-quality foraging patches to examine the social structure of a population of urban red foxes. Foxes encountered a conspecific on 13% of patch visits, and had significant preferred and avoided companionships in all seasons. They also associated in communities that matched territorial space use, confirming that territories can be analysed separately to increase power without excluding too many social partners. Foxes maintained stable, long-term relationships with other territory residents, but the average longevity of relationships varied seasonally, suggesting that social connectivity, particularly between foxes from different social groups, is influenced by their annual life cycle. The probability of re-association after a given time lag was highest in spring and summer, during cub birth and rearing, and lowest in the winter mating season, when mean relationship duration was shorter. 33% of fox relationships lasted for four consecutive seasons and were probably between territory residents. 14% lasted for around 20 days and were probably between residents and visitors from adjacent territories. The majority (53%) lasted less than one day, particularly during dispersal and mating, and were probably between foxes from non-adjacent social groups. Social structure varied between groups; in one group the death of the dominant male caused significant social disruption for two seasons. This is the first application of social network analysis to multiple red fox social groups. However, our analyses were based on interactions at high quality food patches; social connections may differ when foxes are resting, travelling and foraging elsewhere in their territory. Our results will inform management practices, particularly for disease spread and population control.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jo Dorning
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, England, United Kingdom
- * E-mail:
| | - Stephen Harris
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, England, United Kingdom
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19
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Proboste T, Corvalan P, Clark N, Beyer HL, Goldizen AW, Seddon JM. Commensal bacterial sharing does not predict host social associations in kangaroos. J Anim Ecol 2019; 88:1696-1707. [PMID: 31297802 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.13064] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2018] [Accepted: 06/11/2019] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Social network analysis has been postulated as a tool to study potential pathogen transmission in wildlife but is resource-intensive to quantify. Networks based on bacterial genotypes have been proposed as a cost-effective method for estimating social or transmission network based on the assumption that individuals in close contact will share commensal bacteria. However, the use of network analysis to study wild populations requires critical evaluation of the assumptions and parameters these models are founded on. We test (a) whether networks of commensal bacterial sharing are related to hosts' social associations and hence could act as a proxy for estimating transmission networks, (b) how the parameters chosen to define host associations and delineate bacterial genotypes impact inference and (c) whether these relationships change across time. We use stochastic simulations to evaluate how uncertainty in parameter choice affects network structure. We focused on a well-studied population of eastern grey kangaroos (Macropus giganteus), from Sundown National Park, Australia. Using natural markings, each individual was identified and its associations with other kangaroos recorded through direct field observations over 2 years to construct social networks. Faecal samples were collected, Escherichia coli was cultured and genotyped using BOX-PCR, and bacterial networks were constructed. Two individuals were connected in the bacterial network if they shared at least one E. coli genotype. We determined the capacity of bacterial networks to predict the observed social network structure in each year. We found little support for a relationship between social association and dyadic commensal bacterial similarity. Thresholds to determine host associations and similarity cut-off values used to define E. coli genotypes had important ramifications for inferring links between individuals. In fact, we found that inferences can show opposite patterns based on the chosen thresholds. Moreover, no similarity in overall bacterial network structure was detected between years. Although empirical disease transmission data are often unavailable in wildlife populations, both bacterial networks and social networks have limitations in representing the mode of transmission of a pathogen. Our results suggest that caution is needed when designing such studies and interpreting results.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tatiana Proboste
- School of Veterinary Science, The University of Queensland, Gatton, Qld, Australia.,School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Qld, Australia
| | - Paloma Corvalan
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Qld, Australia
| | - Nicholas Clark
- School of Veterinary Science, The University of Queensland, Gatton, Qld, Australia
| | - Hawthorne L Beyer
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Qld, Australia.,Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation Science, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Qld, Australia
| | - Anne W Goldizen
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Qld, Australia
| | - Jennifer M Seddon
- School of Veterinary Science, The University of Queensland, Gatton, Qld, Australia
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20
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Gilbertson MLJ, Fountain-Jones NM, Craft ME. Incorporating genomic methods into contact networks to reveal new insights into animal behavior and infectious disease dynamics. BEHAVIOUR 2019; 155:759-791. [PMID: 31680698 DOI: 10.1163/1568539x-00003471] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
Utilization of contact networks has provided opportunities for assessing the dynamic interplay between pathogen transmission and host behavior. Genomic techniques have, in their own right, provided new insight into complex questions in disease ecology, and the increasing accessibility of genomic approaches means more researchers may seek out these tools. The integration of network and genomic approaches provides opportunities to examine the interaction between behavior and pathogen transmission in new ways and with greater resolution. While a number of studies have begun to incorporate both contact network and genomic approaches, a great deal of work has yet to be done to better integrate these techniques. In this review, we give a broad overview of how network and genomic approaches have each been used to address questions regarding the interaction of social behavior and infectious disease, and then discuss current work and future horizons for the merging of these techniques.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marie L J Gilbertson
- Department of Veterinary Population Medicine, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455, USA
| | - Nicholas M Fountain-Jones
- Department of Veterinary Population Medicine, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455, USA
| | - Meggan E Craft
- Department of Veterinary Population Medicine, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455, USA
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21
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Dawson DE, Farthing TS, Sanderson MW, Lanzas C. Transmission on empirical dynamic contact networks is influenced by data processing decisions. Epidemics 2019; 26:32-42. [PMID: 30528207 PMCID: PMC6613374 DOI: 10.1016/j.epidem.2018.08.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2018] [Revised: 08/01/2018] [Accepted: 08/27/2018] [Indexed: 11/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Dynamic contact data can be used to inform disease transmission models, providing insight into the dynamics of infectious diseases. Such data often requires extensive processing for use in models or analysis. Therefore, processing decisions can potentially influence the topology of the contact network and the simulated disease transmission dynamics on the network. In this study, we examine how four processing decisions, including temporal sampling window (TSW), spatial threshold of contact (SpTh), minimum contact duration (MCD), and temporal aggregation (daily or hourly) influence the information content of contact data (indicated by changes in entropy) as well as disease transmission model dynamics. We found that changes made to information content by processing decisions translated to significant impacts to the transmission dynamics of disease models using the contact data. In particular, we found that SpTh had the largest independent influence on information content, and that some output metrics (R0, time to peak infection) were more sensitive to changes in information than others (epidemic extent). These findings suggest that insights gained from transmission modeling using dynamic contact data can be influenced by processing decisions alone, emphasizing the need to carefully consideration them prior to using contact-based models to conduct analyses, compare different datasets, or inform policy decisions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel E Dawson
- Department of Pathobiology and Population Health, College of Veterinary Medicine, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, 27606, USA.
| | - Trevor S Farthing
- Department of Pathobiology and Population Health, College of Veterinary Medicine, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, 27606, USA
| | - Michael W Sanderson
- Center for Outcomes Research and Epidemiology, Department of Diagnostic Medicine and Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS, USA
| | - Cristina Lanzas
- Department of Pathobiology and Population Health, College of Veterinary Medicine, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, 27606, USA
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22
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Milwid RM, O’Sullivan TL, Poljak Z, Laskowski M, Greer AL. Comparison of the dynamic networks of four equine boarding and training facilities. Prev Vet Med 2019; 162:84-94. [DOI: 10.1016/j.prevetmed.2018.11.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2018] [Revised: 10/31/2018] [Accepted: 11/24/2018] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
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23
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DiRenzo GV, Zipkin EF, Grant EHC, Royle JA, Longo AV, Zamudio KR, Lips KR. Eco-evolutionary rescue promotes host-pathogen coexistence. ECOLOGICAL APPLICATIONS : A PUBLICATION OF THE ECOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 2018; 28:1948-1962. [PMID: 30368999 DOI: 10.1002/eap.1792] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2018] [Revised: 09/12/2018] [Accepted: 06/22/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Emerging infectious pathogens are responsible for some of the most severe host mass mortality events in wild populations. Yet, effective pathogen control strategies are notoriously difficult to identify, in part because quantifying and forecasting pathogen spread and disease dynamics is challenging. Following an outbreak, hosts must cope with the presence of the pathogen, leading to host-pathogen coexistence or extirpation. Despite decades of research, little is known about host-pathogen coexistence post-outbreak when low host abundances and cryptic species make these interactions difficult to study. Using a novel disease-structured N-mixture model, we evaluate empirical support for three host-pathogen coexistence hypotheses (source-sink, eco-evolutionary rescue, and spatial variation in pathogen transmission) in a Neotropical amphibian community decimated by Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd) in 2004. During 2010-2014, we surveyed amphibians in Parque Nacional G. D. Omar Torríjos Herrera, Coclé Province, El Copé, Panama. We found that the primary driver of host-pathogen coexistence was eco-evolutionary rescue, as evidenced by similar amphibian survival and recruitment rates between infected and uninfected hosts. Average apparent monthly survival rates of uninfected and infected hosts were both close to 96%, and the expected number of uninfected and infected hosts recruited (via immigration/reproduction) was less than one host per disease state per 20-m site. The secondary driver of host-pathogen coexistence was spatial variation in pathogen transmission as we found that transmission was highest in areas of low abundance but there was no support for the source-sink hypothesis. Our results indicate that changes in the host community (i.e., through genetic or species composition) can reduce the impacts of emerging infectious disease post-outbreak. Our disease-structured N-mixture model represents a valuable advancement for conservation managers trying to understand underlying host-pathogen interactions and provides new opportunities to study disease dynamics in remnant host populations decimated by virulent pathogens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Graziella V DiRenzo
- Department of Biology, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, 20744, USA
- Department of Integrative Biology and Ecology, Evolutionary Biology, and Behavior Program, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, 48824, USA
| | - Elise F Zipkin
- Department of Integrative Biology and Ecology, Evolutionary Biology, and Behavior Program, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, 48824, USA
| | - Evan H Campbell Grant
- U.S. Geological Survey, Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, SO Conte Anadromous Fish Research Lab, Turners Falls, Massachusetts, 01376, USA
| | - J Andrew Royle
- U.S. Geological Survey, Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, Laurel, Maryland, 20708-4017, USA
| | - Ana V Longo
- Department of Biology, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, 20744, USA
| | - Kelly R Zamudio
- Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, 14583, USA
| | - Karen R Lips
- Department of Biology, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, 20744, USA
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24
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Keiser CN, Pinter-Wollman N, Ziemba MJ, Kothamasu KS, Pruitt JN. The primary case is not enough: Variation among individuals, groups and social networks modify bacterial transmission dynamics. J Anim Ecol 2018; 87:369-378. [PMID: 28692130 PMCID: PMC5871623 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.12729] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2016] [Accepted: 06/13/2017] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
The traits of the primary case of an infectious disease outbreak, and the circumstances for their aetiology, potentially influence the trajectory of transmission dynamics. However, these dynamics likely also depend on the traits of the individuals with whom the primary case interacts. We used the social spider Stegodyphus dumicola to test how the traits of the primary case, group phenotypic composition and group size interact to facilitate the transmission of a GFP-labelled cuticular bacterium. We also compared bacterial transmission across experimentally generated "daisy-chain" vs. "star" networks of social interactions. Finally, we compared social network structure across groups of different sizes. Groups of 10 spiders experienced more bacterial transmission events compared to groups of 30 spiders, regardless of groups' behavioural composition. Groups containing only one bold spider experienced the lowest levels of bacterial transmission regardless of group size. We found no evidence for the traits of the primary case influencing any transmission dynamics. In a second experiment, bacteria were transmitted to more individuals in experimentally induced star networks than in daisy-chains, on which transmission never exceeded three steps. In both experimental network types, transmission success depended jointly on the behavioural traits of the interacting individuals; however, the behavioural traits of the primary case were only important for transmission on star networks. Larger social groups exhibited lower interaction density (i.e. had a low ratio of observed to possible connections) and were more modular, i.e. they had more connections between nodes within a subgroup and fewer connections across subgroups. Thus, larger groups may restrict transmission by forming fewer interactions and by isolating subgroups that interacted with the primary case. These findings suggest that accounting for the traits of single exposed hosts has less power in predicting transmission dynamics compared to the larger scale factors of the social groups in which they reside. Factors like group size and phenotypic composition appear to alter social interaction patterns, which leads to differential transmission of microbes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carl N. Keiser
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
- Biosciences Department, Rice University, Academy of Fellows, Rice University, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Noa Pinter-Wollman
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Michael J. Ziemba
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Krishna S. Kothamasu
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Jonathan N. Pruitt
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Marine Biology, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA, USA
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25
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Dougherty ER, Seidel DP, Carlson CJ, Spiegel O, Getz WM. Going through the motions: incorporating movement analyses into disease research. Ecol Lett 2018; 21:588-604. [PMID: 29446237 DOI: 10.1111/ele.12917] [Citation(s) in RCA: 72] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2017] [Revised: 09/22/2017] [Accepted: 01/01/2018] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Abstract
Though epidemiology dates back to the 1700s, most mathematical representations of epidemics still use transmission rates averaged at the population scale, especially for wildlife diseases. In simplifying the contact process, we ignore the heterogeneities in host movements that complicate the real world, and overlook their impact on spatiotemporal patterns of disease burden. Movement ecology offers a set of tools that help unpack the transmission process, letting researchers more accurately model how animals within a population interact and spread pathogens. Analytical techniques from this growing field can also help expose the reverse process: how infection impacts movement behaviours, and therefore other ecological processes like feeding, reproduction, and dispersal. Here, we synthesise the contributions of movement ecology in disease research, with a particular focus on studies that have successfully used movement-based methods to quantify individual heterogeneity in exposure and transmission risk. Throughout, we highlight the rapid growth of both disease and movement ecology and comment on promising but unexplored avenues for research at their overlap. Ultimately, we suggest, including movement empowers ecologists to pose new questions, expanding our understanding of host-pathogen dynamics and improving our predictive capacity for wildlife and even human diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eric R Dougherty
- Department of Environmental Science Policy and Management, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Dana P Seidel
- Department of Environmental Science Policy and Management, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Colin J Carlson
- Department of Environmental Science Policy and Management, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Orr Spiegel
- Mitrani Department of Desert Ecology, Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beersheba, Israel
| | - Wayne M Getz
- Department of Environmental Science Policy and Management, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA.,Schools of Mathematical Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa
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26
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Bani-Yaghoub M, Reed A. A methodology to quantify the long-term changes in social networks of competing species. Ecol Modell 2018. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2017.10.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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27
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McCallum H, Fenton A, Hudson PJ, Lee B, Levick B, Norman R, Perkins SE, Viney M, Wilson AJ, Lello J. Breaking beta: deconstructing the parasite transmission function. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2017; 372:rstb.2016.0084. [PMID: 28289252 PMCID: PMC5352811 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2016.0084] [Citation(s) in RCA: 69] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 12/22/2016] [Indexed: 01/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Transmission is a fundamental step in the life cycle of every parasite but it is also one of the most challenging processes to model and quantify. In most host–parasite models, the transmission process is encapsulated by a single parameter β. Many different biological processes and interactions, acting on both hosts and infectious organisms, are subsumed in this single term. There are, however, at least two undesirable consequences of this high level of abstraction. First, nonlinearities and heterogeneities that can be critical to the dynamic behaviour of infections are poorly represented; second, estimating the transmission coefficient β from field data is often very difficult. In this paper, we present a conceptual model, which breaks the transmission process into its component parts. This deconstruction enables us to identify circumstances that generate nonlinearities in transmission, with potential implications for emergent transmission behaviour at individual and population scales. Such behaviour cannot be explained by the traditional linear transmission frameworks. The deconstruction also provides a clearer link to the empirical estimation of key components of transmission and enables the construction of flexible models that produce a unified understanding of the spread of both micro- and macro-parasite infectious disease agents. This article is part of the themed issue ‘Opening the black box: re-examining the ecology and evolution of parasite transmission’.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hamish McCallum
- Environmental Futures Research Institute, Griffith University, Nathan 4111, Queensland, Australia
| | - Andy Fenton
- Institute of Integrative Biology, University of Liverpool, Liverpool L69 7ZB, UK
| | - Peter J Hudson
- Center for Infectious Disease Dynamics, Penn State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
| | - Brian Lee
- School of Natural Sciences, University of Stirling, Stirling FK9 4LA, UK
| | - Beth Levick
- Institute of Integrative Biology, University of Liverpool, Liverpool L69 7ZB, UK
| | - Rachel Norman
- School of Natural Sciences, University of Stirling, Stirling FK9 4LA, UK
| | - Sarah E Perkins
- School of Biosciences, Cardiff University, Museum Avenue, Cardiff CF10 3AX, UK.,Department of Biodiversity and Molecular Ecology, Research and Innovation Centre, Fondazione Edmund Mach, Via E. Mach 1, 38010 S. Michele all'Adige, Trentino, Italy
| | - Mark Viney
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, Tyndall Avenue, Bristol BS8 1TQ, UK
| | - Anthony J Wilson
- Vector-borne Viral Diseases Programme, The Pirbright Institute, Ash Road, Pirbright, Woking GU24 0NF, UK
| | - Joanne Lello
- School of Biosciences, Cardiff University, Museum Avenue, Cardiff CF10 3AX, UK .,Department of Biodiversity and Molecular Ecology, Research and Innovation Centre, Fondazione Edmund Mach, Via E. Mach 1, 38010 S. Michele all'Adige, Trentino, Italy
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28
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White LA, Forester JD, Craft ME. Covariation between the physiological and behavioral components of pathogen transmission: host heterogeneity determines epidemic outcomes. OIKOS 2017. [DOI: 10.1111/oik.04527] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Lauren A. White
- Dept of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior; Univ. of Minnesota, 140 Gortner Laboratory; 1479 Gortner Avenue St. Paul MN 55108 USA
| | - James D. Forester
- Dept of Fisheries, Wildlife and Conservation Biology; Univ. of Minnesota; St. Paul MN USA
| | - Meggan E. Craft
- Veterinary Population Medicine, Univ. of Minnesota; St. Paul MN USA
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29
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Farine DR. When to choose dynamic vs. static social network analysis. J Anim Ecol 2017; 87:128-138. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.12764] [Citation(s) in RCA: 60] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2017] [Accepted: 10/01/2017] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Damien R. Farine
- Department of Collective Behaviour Max Planck Institute for Ornithology Konstanz Germany
- Department of Biology University of Konstanz Konstanz Germany
- Department of Zoology Edward Grey Institute University of Oxford Oxford UK
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30
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Borchering RK, Bellan SE, Flynn JM, Pulliam JRC, McKinley SA. Resource-driven encounters among consumers and implications for the spread of infectious disease. J R Soc Interface 2017; 14:20170555. [PMID: 29021163 PMCID: PMC5665835 DOI: 10.1098/rsif.2017.0555] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2017] [Accepted: 09/18/2017] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Animals share a variety of common resources, which can be a major driver of conspecific encounter rates. In this work, we implement a spatially explicit mathematical model for resource visitation behaviour in order to examine how changes in resource availability can influence the rate of encounters among consumers. Using simulations and asymptotic analysis, we demonstrate that, under a reasonable set of assumptions, the relationship between resource availability and consumer conspecific encounters is not monotonic. We characterize how the maximum encounter rate and associated critical resource density depend on system parameters like consumer density and the maximum distance from which consumers can detect and respond to resources. The assumptions underlying our theoretical model and analysis are motivated by observations of large aggregations of black-backed jackals at carcasses generated by seasonal outbreaks of anthrax among herbivores in Etosha National Park, Namibia. As non-obligate scavengers, black-backed jackals use carcasses as a supplemental food resource when they are available. While jackals do not appear to acquire disease from ingesting anthrax carcasses, changes in their movement patterns in response to changes in carcass abundance do alter jackals' conspecific encounter rate in ways that may affect the transmission dynamics of other diseases, such as rabies. Our theoretical results provide a method to quantify and analyse the hypothesis that the outbreak of a fatal disease among herbivores can potentially facilitate outbreaks of an entirely different disease among jackals. By analysing carcass visitation data, we find support for our model's prediction that the number of conspecific encounters at resource sites decreases with additional increases in resource availability. Whether or not this site-dependent effect translates to an overall decrease in encounters depends, unexpectedly, on the relationship between the maximum distance of detection and the resource density.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Steve E Bellan
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, College of Public Health, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA
- Center for Ecology of Infectious Diseases, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA
| | - Jason M Flynn
- Department of Mathematics, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA, USA
| | - Juliet R C Pulliam
- Emerging Pathogens Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
- Department of Biology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
- South African Centre for Epidemiological Modelling and Analysis, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, South Africa
| | - Scott A McKinley
- Department of Mathematics, Tulane University, 6823 St Charles Avenue, New Orleans, LA 70118, USA
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Dougherty ER, Carlson CJ, Blackburn JK, Getz WM. A cross-validation-based approach for delimiting reliable home range estimates. MOVEMENT ECOLOGY 2017; 5:19. [PMID: 28904797 PMCID: PMC5586009 DOI: 10.1186/s40462-017-0110-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2017] [Accepted: 08/28/2017] [Indexed: 05/16/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND With decreasing costs of GPS telemetry devices, data repositories of animal movement paths are increasing almost exponentially in size. A series of complex statistical tools have been developed in conjunction with this increase in data. Each of these methods offers certain improvements over previously proposed methods, but each has certain assumptions or shortcomings that make its general application difficult. In the case of the recently developed Time Local Convex Hull (T-LoCoH) method, the subjectivity in parameter selection serves as one of the primary impediments to its more widespread use. While there are certain advantages to the flexibility it offers for question-driven research, the lack of an objective approach for parameter selection may prevent some users from exploring the benefits of the method. METHODS Here we present a cross-validation-based approach for selecting parameter values to optimize the T-LoCoH algorithm. We demonstrate the utility of the approach using a case study from the Etosha National Park anthrax system. RESULTS Utilizing the proposed algorithm, rather than the guidelines in the T-LoCoH documentation, results in significantly different values for derived site fidelity metrics. CONCLUSIONS Due to its basis in principles of cross-validation, the application of this method offers a more objective approach than the relatively subjective guidelines set forth in the T-LoCoH documentation and enables a more accurate basis for the comparison of home ranges among individuals and species, as well as among studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eric R. Dougherty
- Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA USA
| | - Colin J. Carlson
- Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA USA
| | - Jason K. Blackburn
- Spatial Epidemiology and Ecology Research Laboratory, Department of Geography, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL USA
- Emerging Pathogens Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL USA
| | - Wayne M. Getz
- Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA USA
- School of Mathematical Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa
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32
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Pilosof S, Greenbaum G, Krasnov BR, Zelnik YR. Asymmetric disease dynamics in multihost interconnected networks. J Theor Biol 2017; 430:237-244. [PMID: 28735858 DOI: 10.1016/j.jtbi.2017.07.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2016] [Revised: 07/18/2017] [Accepted: 07/20/2017] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Epidemic spread in single-host systems strongly depends on the population's transmission network. However, little is known regarding the spread of epidemics across networks representing populations of multiple hosts. We explored cross-species transmission in a multilayer network where layers represent populations of two distinct hosts, and disease can spread across intralayer (within-host) and interlayer (between-host) edges. We developed an analytic framework for the SIR epidemic model to examine the effect of (i) source of infection and (ii) between-host asymmetry in infection probabilities, on disease risk. We measured risk as outbreak probability and outbreak size in a focal host, represented by one network layer. Numeric simulations were used to validate the analytic formulations. We found that outbreak probability is determined by a complex interaction between source of infection and between-host infection probabilities, whereas outbreak size is mainly affected by the non-focal host to focal host infection probability. Hence, inter-specific asymmetry in infection probabilities shapes disease dynamics in multihost networks. These results highlight the importance of considering multiple measures of disease risk and advance our understanding of disease spread in multihost systems. The study provides a flexible way to model disease dynamics in multiple hosts while considering contact heterogeneity within and between species. We strongly encourage empirical studies that include information on both cross-species infection rates and network structure of multiple hosts. Such studies are necessary to corroborate our theoretical results and to improve our understanding of multihost epidemiology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shai Pilosof
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of Chicago, 1103 E 57 st, Chicago, 60637, USA.
| | - Gili Greenbaum
- Mitrani Department of Desert Ecology, Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Sede Boqer Campus, 84990, Israel; Department of Solar Energy and Environmental Physics, Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Sede Boqer Campus, 84990, Israel
| | - Boris R Krasnov
- Mitrani Department of Desert Ecology, Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Sede Boqer Campus, 84990, Israel
| | - Yuval R Zelnik
- Department of Solar Energy and Environmental Physics, Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Sede Boqer Campus, 84990, Israel
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Mohorianu I, Bretman A, Smith DT, Fowler EK, Dalmay T, Chapman T. Genomic responses to the socio-sexual environment in male Drosophila melanogaster exposed to conspecific rivals. RNA (NEW YORK, N.Y.) 2017; 23:1048-1059. [PMID: 28428330 PMCID: PMC5473139 DOI: 10.1261/rna.059246.116] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2016] [Accepted: 04/10/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Socio-sexual environments have profound effects on fitness. Local sex ratios can alter the threat of sexual competition, to which males respond via plasticity in reproductive behaviors and ejaculate composition. In Drosophila melanogaster, males detect the presence of conspecific, same-sex mating rivals prior to mating using multiple, redundant sensory cues. Males that respond to rivals gain significant fitness benefits by altering mating duration and ejaculate composition. Here we investigated the underlying genome-wide changes involved. We used RNA-seq to analyze male transcriptomic responses 2, 26, and 50 h after exposure to rivals, a time period that was previously identified as encompassing the major facets of male responses to rivals. The results showed a strong early activation of multiple sensory genes in the head-thorax (HT), prior to the expression of any phenotypic differences. This gene expression response was reduced by 26 h, at the time of maximum phenotypic change, and shut off by 50 h. In the abdomen (A), fewer genes changed in expression and gene expression responses appeared to increase over time. The results also suggested that different sets of functionally equivalent genes might be activated in different replicates. This could represent a mechanism by which robustness is conferred upon highly plastic traits. Overall, our study reveals that mRNA-seq can identify subtle genomic signatures characteristic of flexible behavioral phenotypes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Irina Mohorianu
- School of Biological Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich Research Park, Norwich, NR4 7TJ, United Kingdom
| | - Amanda Bretman
- School of Biological Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich Research Park, Norwich, NR4 7TJ, United Kingdom
- School of Biology, University of Leeds, Leeds, LS2 9JT, United Kingdom
| | - Damian T Smith
- School of Biological Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich Research Park, Norwich, NR4 7TJ, United Kingdom
| | - Emily K Fowler
- School of Biological Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich Research Park, Norwich, NR4 7TJ, United Kingdom
| | - Tamas Dalmay
- School of Biological Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich Research Park, Norwich, NR4 7TJ, United Kingdom
| | - Tracey Chapman
- School of Biological Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich Research Park, Norwich, NR4 7TJ, United Kingdom
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Snijders L, Blumstein DT, Stanley CR, Franks DW. Animal Social Network Theory Can Help Wildlife Conservation. Trends Ecol Evol 2017. [PMID: 28648805 DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2017.05.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 79] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Abstract
Many animals preferentially associate with certain other individuals. This social structuring can influence how populations respond to changes to their environment, thus making network analysis a promising technique for understanding, predicting, and potentially manipulating population dynamics. Various network statistics can correlate with individual fitness components and key population-level processes, yet the logical role and formal application of animal social network theory for conservation and management have not been well articulated. We outline how understanding of direct and indirect relationships between animals can be profitably applied by wildlife managers and conservationists. By doing so, we aim to stimulate the development and implementation of practical tools for wildlife conservation and management and to inspire novel behavioral research in this field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lysanne Snijders
- Department of Biology and Ecology of Fishes, Leibniz-Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries, Berlin, Germany; Behavioural Ecology Group, Wageningen University & Research, Wageningen, The Netherlands.
| | - Daniel T Blumstein
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, USA
| | | | - Daniel W Franks
- York Centre for Complex Systems Analysis, The University of York, York, UK
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35
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Borremans B, Reijniers J, Hughes NK, Godfrey SS, Gryseels S, Makundi RH, Leirs H. Nonlinear scaling of foraging contacts with rodent population density. OIKOS 2016. [DOI: 10.1111/oik.03623] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Benny Borremans
- Evolutionary Ecology Group, Univ. of Antwerp; Antwerp Belgium
| | - Jonas Reijniers
- Evolutionary Ecology Group, Univ. of Antwerp; Antwerp Belgium
- Dept of Engineering Management; Univ. of Antwerp; Antwerp Belgium
| | - Nelika K. Hughes
- Evolutionary Ecology Group, Univ. of Antwerp; Antwerp Belgium
- School of BioSciences, Univ. of Melbourne; Melbourne Australia
| | - Stephanie S. Godfrey
- School of Veterinary and Life Sciences, Murdoch Univ.; Western Australia Australia
| | - Sophie Gryseels
- Evolutionary Ecology Group, Univ. of Antwerp; Antwerp Belgium
| | - Rhodes H. Makundi
- Pest Management Center, Sokoine Univ. of Agriculture; Morogoro Tanzania
| | - Herwig Leirs
- Evolutionary Ecology Group, Univ. of Antwerp; Antwerp Belgium
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36
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Friant S, Ziegler TE, Goldberg TL. Primate reinfection with gastrointestinal parasites: behavioural and physiological predictors of parasite acquisition. Anim Behav 2016; 117:105-113. [PMID: 28163324 PMCID: PMC5287709 DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2016.04.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Infectious disease transmission is a cost of sociality in humans and other animals. Nevertheless, the mechanisms linking social behaviour to infection risk are poorly known. We conducted a field experiment to examine how host intrinsic traits, behaviour and physiology affect infection of nonhuman primates with gastrointestinal parasites. We measured rate to reinfection in a social group of red-capped mangabeys, Cercocebus torquatus, following chemotherapeutic treatment for parasite infections. By measuring behaviour, infection and glucocorticoid levels, we compared the relative effects of space sharing, directional contact and physiological stress on risk of acquiring new infections. We found that, within proximity networks, individuals that were central and well connected and that had a tendency to switch groups were at increased risk of infection with helminths. Protozoan infections, however, were acquired more uniformly across the population. In general, position in the social network and, in particular, space sharing appears to be more important than the immunosuppressive effects of physiological stress or host traits in determining risk of infection. Our results suggest that future studies of disease ecology within wildlife populations should focus on measures of network association in addition to individual host traits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sagan Friant
- Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies, University of Wisconsin-Madison, WI, U.S.A
- Department of Pathobiological Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Wisconsin-Madison, WI, U.S.A
| | - Toni E. Ziegler
- Wisconsin National Primate Research Center, Madison, WI, U.S.A
| | - Tony L. Goldberg
- Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies, University of Wisconsin-Madison, WI, U.S.A
- Department of Pathobiological Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Wisconsin-Madison, WI, U.S.A
- Global Health Institute, University of Wisconsin-Madison, WI, U.S.A
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Keiser CN, Howell KA, Pinter-Wollman N, Pruitt JN. Personality composition alters the transmission of cuticular bacteria in social groups. Biol Lett 2016; 12:20160297. [PMID: 27381885 PMCID: PMC4971170 DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2016.0297] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2016] [Accepted: 06/15/2016] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
The initial stages of a disease outbreak can determine the magnitude of the ensuing epidemic. Though rarely tested in unison, two factors with important consequences for the transmission dynamics of infectious agents are the collective traits of the susceptible population and the individual traits of the index case (i.e. 'patient zero'). Here, we test whether the personality composition of a social group can explain horizontal transmission dynamics of cuticular bacteria using the social spider Stegodyphus dumicola We exposed focal spiders of known behavioural phenotypes with a GFP-transformed cuticular bacterium (Pantoea sp.) and placed them in groups of 10 susceptible individuals (i.e. those with no experience with this bacterium). We measured bacterial transmission to groups composed of either all shy spiders, 10% bold spiders or 40% bold spiders. We found that colonies with 40% bold spiders experienced over twice the incidence of transmission compared to colonies with just 10% bold individuals after only 24 h of interaction. Colonies of all shy spiders experienced an intermediate degree of transmission. Interestingly, we did not detect an effect of the traits of the index case on transmission. These data suggest that the phenotypic composition of the susceptible population can have a greater influence on the degree of early transmission events than the traits of the index case.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carl N Keiser
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15260, USA
| | - Kimberly A Howell
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15260, USA
| | - Noa Pinter-Wollman
- BioCircuits Institute, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Jonathan N Pruitt
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Marine Biology, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA 93106, USA
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Boulinier T, Kada S, Ponchon A, Dupraz M, Dietrich M, Gamble A, Bourret V, Duriez O, Bazire R, Tornos J, Tveraa T, Chambert T, Garnier R, McCoy KD. Migration, Prospecting, Dispersal? What Host Movement Matters for Infectious Agent Circulation? Integr Comp Biol 2016; 56:330-42. [PMID: 27252195 DOI: 10.1093/icb/icw015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Spatial disease ecology is emerging as a new field that requires the integration of complementary approaches to address how the distribution and movements of hosts and parasites may condition the dynamics of their interactions. In this context, migration, the seasonal movement of animals to different zones of their distribution, is assumed to play a key role in the broad scale circulation of parasites and pathogens. Nevertheless, migration is not the only type of host movement that can influence the spatial ecology, evolution, and epidemiology of infectious diseases. Dispersal, the movement of individuals between the location where they were born or bred to a location where they breed, has attracted attention as another important type of movement for the spatial dynamics of infectious diseases. Host dispersal has notably been identified as a key factor for the evolution of host-parasite interactions as it implies gene flow among local host populations and thus can alter patterns of coevolution with infectious agents across spatial scales. However, not all movements between host populations lead to dispersal per se. One type of host movement that has been neglected, but that may also play a role in parasite spread is prospecting, i.e., movements targeted at selecting and securing new habitat for future breeding. Prospecting movements, which have been studied in detail in certain social species, could result in the dispersal of infectious agents among different host populations without necessarily involving host dispersal. In this article, we outline how these various types of host movements might influence the circulation of infectious disease agents and discuss methodological approaches that could be used to assess their importance. We specifically focus on examples from work on colonial seabirds, ticks, and tick-borne infectious agents. These are convenient biological models because they are strongly spatially structured and involve relatively simple communities of interacting species. Overall, this review emphasizes that explicit consideration of the behavioral and population ecology of hosts and parasites is required to disentangle the relative roles of different types of movement for the spread of infectious diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thierry Boulinier
- *UMR 5175 CEFE, CNRS - Université Montpellier - Université P. Valéry - EPHE, 34293 Montpellier, France
| | - Sarah Kada
- *UMR 5175 CEFE, CNRS - Université Montpellier - Université P. Valéry - EPHE, 34293 Montpellier, France
| | - Aurore Ponchon
- Eco-ethology Research Group, ISPA, 1149-041 Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Marlène Dupraz
- MIVEGEC, CNRS-IRD-Université Montpellier, UMR 5190, 34394 Montpellier, France
| | - Muriel Dietrich
- Department of Microbiology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria 0002, South Africa
| | - Amandine Gamble
- *UMR 5175 CEFE, CNRS - Université Montpellier - Université P. Valéry - EPHE, 34293 Montpellier, France
| | - Vincent Bourret
- *UMR 5175 CEFE, CNRS - Université Montpellier - Université P. Valéry - EPHE, 34293 Montpellier, France
| | - Olivier Duriez
- *UMR 5175 CEFE, CNRS - Université Montpellier - Université P. Valéry - EPHE, 34293 Montpellier, France
| | - Romain Bazire
- *UMR 5175 CEFE, CNRS - Université Montpellier - Université P. Valéry - EPHE, 34293 Montpellier, France
| | - Jérémy Tornos
- *UMR 5175 CEFE, CNRS - Université Montpellier - Université P. Valéry - EPHE, 34293 Montpellier, France
| | - Torkild Tveraa
- Norwegian Institute for Nature Research, Fram Center, 9296 Tromsoe, Norway
| | - Thierry Chambert
- Department of Ecosystem Science and Management, Pennsylvania State University, PA 16802, USA
| | - Romain Garnier
- **Department of Veterinary Medicine, Disease Dynamics Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB3 0ES, UK
| | - Karen D McCoy
- MIVEGEC, CNRS-IRD-Université Montpellier, UMR 5190, 34394 Montpellier, France
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ESTIMATING CONTACT RATES OF HAWAIIAN MONK SEALS (NEOMONACHUS SCHAUINSLANDI) USING SOCIAL NETWORK ANALYSIS. J Wildl Dis 2016; 52:533-43. [PMID: 27195686 DOI: 10.7589/2015-10-286] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Understanding disease transmission dynamics, which are in part mediated by rates and patterns of social contact, is fundamental to predicting the likelihood, rate of spread, impacts, and mitigation of disease outbreaks in wildlife populations. Contact rates, which are important parameters required for epidemiologic models, are difficult to estimate. The endangered Hawaiian monk seal (Neomonachus schauinslandi) may be particularly vulnerable to morbillivirus outbreaks, due to its low abundance, lack of genetic diversity, and history of isolation from mammalian diseases. Morbillivirus epizootics have had devastating effects on other seal populations. We constructed social networks based on visual observations of individually identifiable monk seals associating onshore to estimate contact rates, assuming random mixing, and also to investigate contact patterns of different age and sex classes. Contact rates estimated from two island populations in 4 yr were remarkably similar, indicating any two individuals have about a one in 1,000 chance of making contact on any given day. Further, contact patterns within and among age and sex classes were statistically different from random. The methods we used could be broadly applied to empirically derive contact rates using association data. These rates are critical for epidemiologic modelling to simulate wildlife disease outbreaks and to inform science-based prevention and mitigation programs.
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Keiser CN, Pinter-Wollman N, Augustine DA, Ziemba MJ, Hao L, Lawrence JG, Pruitt JN. Individual differences in boldness influence patterns of social interactions and the transmission of cuticular bacteria among group-mates. Proc Biol Sci 2016; 283:20160457. [PMID: 27097926 PMCID: PMC4855390 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2016.0457] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/29/2016] [Accepted: 03/30/2016] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Despite the importance of host attributes for the likelihood of associated microbial transmission, individual variation is seldom considered in studies of wildlife disease. Here, we test the influence of host phenotypes on social network structure and the likelihood of cuticular bacterial transmission from exposed individuals to susceptible group-mates using female social spiders (Stegodyphus dumicola). Based on the interactions of resting individuals of known behavioural types, we assessed whether individuals assorted according to their behavioural traits. We found that individuals preferentially interacted with individuals of unlike behavioural phenotypes. We next applied a green fluorescent protein-transformed cuticular bacterium,Pantoeasp., to individuals and allowed them to interact with an unexposed colony-mate for 24 h. We found evidence for transmission of bacteria in 55% of cases. The likelihood of transmission was influenced jointly by the behavioural phenotypes of both the exposed and susceptible individuals: transmission was more likely when exposed spiders exhibited higher 'boldness' relative to their colony-mate, and when unexposed individuals were in better body condition. Indirect transmission via shared silk took place in only 15% of cases. Thus, bodily contact appears key to transmission in this system. These data represent a fundamental step towards understanding how individual traits influence larger-scale social and epidemiological dynamics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carl N Keiser
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15260, USA
| | - Noa Pinter-Wollman
- BioCircuits Institute, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - David A Augustine
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15260, USA
| | - Michael J Ziemba
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15260, USA
| | - Lingran Hao
- BioCircuits Institute, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Jeffrey G Lawrence
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15260, USA
| | - Jonathan N Pruitt
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15260, USA Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Marine Biology, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA 93106, USA
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Rimbach R, Bisanzio D, Galvis N, Link A, Di Fiore A, Gillespie TR. Brown spider monkeys (Ateles hybridus): a model for differentiating the role of social networks and physical contact on parasite transmission dynamics. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2016; 370:rstb.2014.0110. [PMID: 25870396 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2014.0110] [Citation(s) in RCA: 72] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Elevated risk of disease transmission is considered a major cost of sociality, although empirical evidence supporting this idea remains scant. Variation in spatial cohesion and the occurrence of social interactions may have profound implications for patterns of interindividual parasite transmission. We used a social network approach to shed light on the importance of different aspects of group-living (i.e. within-group associations versus physical contact) on patterns of parasitism in a neotropical primate, the brown spider monkey (Ateles hybridus), which exhibits a high degree of fission-fusion subgrouping. We used daily subgroup composition records to create a 'proximity' network, and built a separate 'contact' network using social interactions involving physical contact. In the proximity network, connectivity between individuals was homogeneous, whereas the contact network highlighted high between-individual variation in the extent to which animals had physical contact with others, which correlated with an individual's age and sex. The gastrointestinal parasite species richness of highly connected individuals was greater than that of less connected individuals in the contact network, but not in the proximity network. Our findings suggest that among brown spider monkeys, physical contact impacts the spread of several common parasites and supports the idea that pathogen transmission is one cost associated with social contact.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebecca Rimbach
- School of Animal, Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Private Bag 3, WITS 2050 Johannesburg, South Africa; Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology Unit, German Primate Center, Kellnerweg 4, 37077 Göttingen, Germany Fundación Proyecto Primates Colombia, Cra. 11a No. 91-55, Bogotá, Colombia
| | - Donal Bisanzio
- Department of Environmental Sciences and Program in Population Biology, Ecology and Evolution, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
| | - Nelson Galvis
- Fundación Proyecto Primates Colombia, Cra. 11a No. 91-55, Bogotá, Colombia Laboratorio de Ecología de Bosques Tropicales y Primatología, Departamento de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad de Los Andes, Cra. 1 No. 18ª-12, Bogotá, Colombia
| | - Andrés Link
- Fundación Proyecto Primates Colombia, Cra. 11a No. 91-55, Bogotá, Colombia Laboratorio de Ecología de Bosques Tropicales y Primatología, Departamento de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad de Los Andes, Cra. 1 No. 18ª-12, Bogotá, Colombia
| | - Anthony Di Fiore
- Fundación Proyecto Primates Colombia, Cra. 11a No. 91-55, Bogotá, Colombia Department of Anthropology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA
| | - Thomas R Gillespie
- Department of Environmental Sciences and Program in Population Biology, Ecology and Evolution, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA Department of Environmental Health, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
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Webber QMR, Brigham RM, Park AD, Gillam EH, O’Shea TJ, Willis CKR. Social network characteristics and predicted pathogen transmission in summer colonies of female big brown bats (Eptesicus fuscus). Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2016. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-016-2093-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/17/2023]
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Affiliation(s)
- Kimberly L. VanderWaal
- Department of Veterinary Population Medicine University of Minnesota 1365 Gortner Avenue St. Paul MN 55108 USA
| | - Vanessa O. Ezenwa
- Odum School of Ecology and Department of Infectious Diseases University of Georgia 140 East Green Street Athens GA 30602 USA
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44
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White LA, Forester JD, Craft ME. Using contact networks to explore mechanisms of parasite transmission in wildlife. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2015; 92:389-409. [DOI: 10.1111/brv.12236] [Citation(s) in RCA: 114] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2015] [Revised: 10/08/2015] [Accepted: 10/12/2015] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Lauren A. White
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behaviour University of Minnesota 140 Gortner Laboratory, 1479 Gortner Avenue St. Paul MN 55108 U.S.A
| | - James D. Forester
- Department of Fisheries, Wildlife and Conservation Biology University of Minnesota 135 Skok Hall, 2003 Upper Buford Circle St. Paul MN 55108 U.S.A
| | - Meggan E. Craft
- Department of Veterinary Population Medicine University of Minnesota 225 Veterinary Medical Center, 1365 Gortner Avenue St. Paul MN 55108 U.S.A
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45
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Farine DR, Whitehead H. Constructing, conducting and interpreting animal social network analysis. J Anim Ecol 2015; 84:1144-63. [PMID: 26172345 PMCID: PMC4973823 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.12418] [Citation(s) in RCA: 464] [Impact Index Per Article: 51.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2015] [Accepted: 06/25/2015] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
1. Animal social networks are descriptions of social structure which, aside from their intrinsic interest for understanding sociality, can have significant bearing across many fields of biology. 2. Network analysis provides a flexible toolbox for testing a broad range of hypotheses, and for describing the social system of species or populations in a quantitative and comparable manner. However, it requires careful consideration of underlying assumptions, in particular differentiating real from observed networks and controlling for inherent biases that are common in social data. 3. We provide a practical guide for using this framework to analyse animal social systems and test hypotheses. First, we discuss key considerations when defining nodes and edges, and when designing methods for collecting data. We discuss different approaches for inferring social networks from these data and displaying them. We then provide an overview of methods for quantifying properties of nodes and networks, as well as for testing hypotheses concerning network structure and network processes. Finally, we provide information about assessing the power and accuracy of an observed network. 4. Alongside this manuscript, we provide appendices containing background information on common programming routines and worked examples of how to perform network analysis using the r programming language. 5. We conclude by discussing some of the major current challenges in social network analysis and interesting future directions. In particular, we highlight the under-exploited potential of experimental manipulations on social networks to address research questions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Damien R Farine
- Department of Zoology, Edward Grey Institute of Field Ornithology, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford, OX1 3PS, UK
- Department of Anthropology (Evolutionary), University of California Davis, 1 Shields Avenue, Davis, CA, 95616, USA
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Ancon, Panama
| | - Hal Whitehead
- Department of Biology, Dalhousie University, 1355 Oxford St, Halifax, NS, Canada, B3H 4J1
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46
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Davis S, Abbasi B, Shah S, Telfer S, Begon M. Spatial analyses of wildlife contact networks. J R Soc Interface 2015; 12:20141004. [PMID: 25411407 PMCID: PMC4277090 DOI: 10.1098/rsif.2014.1004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Datasets from which wildlife contact networks of epidemiological importance can be inferred are becoming increasingly common. A largely unexplored facet of these data is finding evidence of spatial constraints on who has contact with whom, despite theoretical epidemiologists having long realized spatial constraints can play a critical role in infectious disease dynamics. A graph dissimilarity measure is proposed to quantify how close an observed contact network is to being purely spatial whereby its edges are completely determined by the spatial arrangement of its nodes. Statistical techniques are also used to fit a series of mechanistic models for contact rates between individuals to the binary edge data representing presence or absence of observed contact. These are the basis for a second measure that quantifies the extent to which contacts are being mediated by distance. We apply these methods to a set of 128 contact networks of field voles (Microtus agrestis) inferred from mark–recapture data collected over 7 years and from four sites. Large fluctuations in vole abundance allow us to demonstrate that the networks become increasingly similar to spatial proximity graphs as vole density increases. The average number of contacts, , was (i) positively correlated with vole density across the range of observed densities and (ii) for two of the four sites a saturating function of density. The implications for pathogen persistence in wildlife may be that persistence is relatively unaffected by fluctuations in host density because at low density is low but hosts move more freely, and at high density is high but transmission is hampered by local build-up of infected or recovered animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephen Davis
- School of Mathematical and Geospatial Sciences, RMIT University, Melbourne, Victoria 3001, Australia
| | - Babak Abbasi
- School of Mathematical and Geospatial Sciences, RMIT University, Melbourne, Victoria 3001, Australia
| | - Shrupa Shah
- School of Mathematical and Geospatial Sciences, RMIT University, Melbourne, Victoria 3001, Australia
| | - Sandra Telfer
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Zoology Building, Tillydrone Avenue, Aberdeen AB24 2TZ, UK
| | - Mike Begon
- Department of Evolution, Ecology and Behaviour, University of Liverpool, Crown Street, Liverpool L69 7ZB, UK
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47
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Tinnesand HV, Buesching CD, Noonan MJ, Newman C, Zedrosser A, Rosell F, Macdonald DW. Will Trespassers Be Prosecuted or Assessed According to Their Merits? A Consilient Interpretation of Territoriality in a Group-Living Carnivore, the European Badger (Meles meles). PLoS One 2015; 10:e0132432. [PMID: 26147753 PMCID: PMC4493095 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0132432] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2015] [Accepted: 06/16/2015] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Socio-spatial interactions of Carnivores have traditionally been described using the vocabulary of territoriality and aggression, with scent marks interpreted as 'scent fences'. Here, we investigate the role of olfactory signals in assumed territorial marking of group-living solitary foragers using European badgers Meles meles as a model. We presented anal gland secretions (n = 351) from known individuals to identifiable recipients (n = 187), to assess response-variation according to familiarity (own-group, neighbours, strangers) and spatial context (in-context: at a shared border; out-of-context: at an unshared border/ the main sett). Sniffing and over-marking (with subcaudal gland secretion) responses were strongest to anal gland secretions from strangers, intermediate to neighbouring-group and weakest to own-group members. Secretions from both, strangers and neighbours, were sniffed for longer than were own-group samples, although neighbour-secretion presented out-of-context evoked no greater interest than in-context. On an individual level, responses were further moderated by the relevance of individual-specific donor information encoded in the secretion, as it related to the physiological state of the responder. There was a trend bordering on significance for males to sniff for longer than did females, but without sex-related differences in the frequency of subcaudal over-marking responses, and males over-marked oestrous female secretions more than non-oestrous females. There were no age-class related differences in sniff-duration or in over-marking. Evaluating these results in the context of the Familiarity hypothesis, the Threat-level hypothesis, and the Individual advertisement hypothesis evidences that interpretations of territorial scent-marks depicting rigid and potentially agonistic discrimination between own- and foreign-group conspecifics are overly simplistic. We use our findings to advance conceptual understanding of badger socio-spatial ecology, and the general context of territoriality and group-range dynamics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Helga V. Tinnesand
- Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Department of Environmental and Health Studies, Telemark University College, N-3800 Bø i Telemark, Norway
| | - Christina D. Buesching
- Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, Dept. of Zoology, University of Oxford, The Recanati-Kaplan Centre, Tubney House, Abingdon Rd, Tubney, Abingdon, OX13 5QL, United Kingdom
| | - Michael J. Noonan
- Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, Dept. of Zoology, University of Oxford, The Recanati-Kaplan Centre, Tubney House, Abingdon Rd, Tubney, Abingdon, OX13 5QL, United Kingdom
| | - Chris Newman
- Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, Dept. of Zoology, University of Oxford, The Recanati-Kaplan Centre, Tubney House, Abingdon Rd, Tubney, Abingdon, OX13 5QL, United Kingdom
| | - Andreas Zedrosser
- Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Department of Environmental and Health Studies, Telemark University College, N-3800 Bø i Telemark, Norway
- Department of Integrative Biology, Institute of Wildlife Biology and Game Management, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Gregor Mendel Str. 33, A-1180 Vienna, Austria
| | - Frank Rosell
- Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Department of Environmental and Health Studies, Telemark University College, N-3800 Bø i Telemark, Norway
| | - David W. Macdonald
- Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, Dept. of Zoology, University of Oxford, The Recanati-Kaplan Centre, Tubney House, Abingdon Rd, Tubney, Abingdon, OX13 5QL, United Kingdom
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48
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Craft ME. Infectious disease transmission and contact networks in wildlife and livestock. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2015; 370:20140107. [PMID: 25870393 PMCID: PMC4410373 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2014.0107] [Citation(s) in RCA: 191] [Impact Index Per Article: 21.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 01/07/2015] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
The use of social and contact networks to answer basic and applied questions about infectious disease transmission in wildlife and livestock is receiving increased attention. Through social network analysis, we understand that wild animal and livestock populations, including farmed fish and poultry, often have a heterogeneous contact structure owing to social structure or trade networks. Network modelling is a flexible tool used to capture the heterogeneous contacts of a population in order to test hypotheses about the mechanisms of disease transmission, simulate and predict disease spread, and test disease control strategies. This review highlights how to use animal contact data, including social networks, for network modelling, and emphasizes that researchers should have a pathogen of interest in mind before collecting or using contact data. This paper describes the rising popularity of network approaches for understanding transmission dynamics in wild animal and livestock populations; discusses the common mismatch between contact networks as measured in animal behaviour and relevant parasites to match those networks; and highlights knowledge gaps in how to collect and analyse contact data. Opportunities for the future include increased attention to experiments, pathogen genetic markers and novel computational tools.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meggan E Craft
- Department of Veterinary Population Medicine, University of Minnesota, St Paul, MN 55108, USA
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49
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Pilosof S, Morand S, Krasnov BR, Nunn CL. Potential parasite transmission in multi-host networks based on parasite sharing. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0117909. [PMID: 25748947 PMCID: PMC4352066 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0117909] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2014] [Accepted: 01/05/2015] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Epidemiological networks are commonly used to explore dynamics of parasite transmission among individuals in a population of a given host species. However, many parasites infect multiple host species, and thus multi-host networks may offer a better framework for investigating parasite dynamics. We investigated the factors that influence parasite sharing--and thus potential transmission pathways--among rodent hosts in Southeast Asia. We focused on differences between networks of a single host species and networks that involve multiple host species. In host-parasite networks, modularity (the extent to which the network is divided into subgroups of rodents that interact with similar parasites) was higher in the multi-species than in the single-species networks. This suggests that phylogeny affects patterns of parasite sharing, which was confirmed in analyses showing that it predicted affiliation of individuals to modules. We then constructed "potential transmission networks" based on the host-parasite networks, in which edges depict the similarity between a pair of individuals in the parasites they share. The centrality of individuals in these networks differed between multi- and single-species networks, with species identity and individual characteristics influencing their position in the networks. Simulations further revealed that parasite dynamics differed between multi- and single-species networks. We conclude that multi-host networks based on parasite sharing can provide new insights into the potential for transmission among hosts in an ecological community. In addition, the factors that determine the nature of parasite sharing (i.e. structure of the host-parasite network) may impact transmission patterns.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shai Pilosof
- Mitrani Department of Desert Ecology, Albert Katz International School for Desert Studies, Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Midreshet Ben-Gurion, Israel
- * E-mail:
| | - Serge Morand
- Institut des Sciences de l'Evolution de Montpellier (ISEM), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Montpellier, France
- Unité de Recherche Animal et Gestion Intégrée des Risques, Centre de Coopération Internationale en Recherche Agronomique pour le Développement, Montpellier, France
- Centre d'Infectiologie Christophe Mérieux du Laos (CICML), Ministry of Health of Lao PDR, Vientiane, Lao PDR
| | - Boris R. Krasnov
- Mitrani Department of Desert Ecology, Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Midreshet Ben-Gurion, Israel
| | - Charles L. Nunn
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology & Duke Global Health Institute, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, United States of America
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50
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First direct estimate of the detection probability of bovine tuberculosis in possums by possum transmission. EUR J WILDLIFE RES 2014. [DOI: 10.1007/s10344-014-0834-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
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