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Dekelaita DJ, Epps CW, German DW, Powers JG, Gonzales BJ, Abella-Vu RK, Darby NW, Hughson DL, Stewart KM. Animal movement and associated infectious disease risk in a metapopulation. R Soc Open Sci 2023; 10:220390. [PMID: 36756067 PMCID: PMC9890124 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.220390] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2022] [Accepted: 01/10/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Animal movements among habitat patches or populations are important for maintaining long-term genetic and demographic viability, but connectivity may also facilitate disease spread and persistence. Understanding factors that influence animal movements is critical to understanding potential transmission risk and persistence of communicable disease in spatially structured systems. We evaluated effects of sex, age and Mycoplasma ovipneumoniae infection status at capture on intermountain movements and seasonal movement rates observed in desert bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis nelsoni) using global positioning system collar data from 135 individuals (27 males, 108 females) in 14 populations between 2013 and 2018, following a pneumonia outbreak linked to the pathogen M. ovipneumoniae in the Mojave Desert, California, USA. Based on logistic regression analysis, intermountain movements were influenced by sex, age and most notably, infection status at capture: males, older animals and uninfected individuals were most likely to make such movements. Based on multiple linear regression analysis, females that tested positive for M. ovipneumoniae at capture also had lower mean daily movement rates that were further influenced by season. Our study provides empirical evidence of a pathogenic infection decreasing an individual's future mobility, presumably limiting that pathogen's ability to spread, and ultimately influencing transmission risk within a spatially structured system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniella J. Dekelaita
- Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331, USA
| | - Clinton W. Epps
- Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331, USA
| | - David W. German
- Sierra Nevada Bighorn Sheep Recovery Program, CaliforniaDepartment of Fish and Wildlife, Bishop, CA 93514, USA
| | - Jenny G. Powers
- Biological Resources Division, National Park Service, 1201 Oakridge Drive, Fort Collins, CO 80525, USA
| | - Ben J. Gonzales
- Wildlife Investigations Laboratory, California Department of Fish and Wildlife, 1701 Nimbus Road, Rancho Cordova, CA 95670-4503, USA
| | - Regina K. Abella-Vu
- Wildlife Branch, California Department of Fish and Wildlife, 1812 Ninth Street, Sacramento, CA 95811, USA
| | - Neal W. Darby
- Mojave National Preserve, National Park Service, 2701 Barstow Road, Barstow, CA 92311, USA
| | - Debra L. Hughson
- Mojave National Preserve, National Park Service, 2701 Barstow Road, Barstow, CA 92311, USA
| | - Kelley M. Stewart
- Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Science, University of Nevada, Reno, NV 89557-0186, USA
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Dekelaita DJ, Epps CW, Stewart KM, Sedinger JS, Powers JG, Gonzales BJ, Abella‐Vu RK, Darby NW, Hughson DL. Survival of Adult Female Bighorn Sheep Following a Pneumonia Epizootic. J Wildl Manage 2020. [DOI: 10.1002/jwmg.21914] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Daniella J. Dekelaita
- Department of Fisheries and Wildlife Oregon State University Corvallis OR 97331‐3803 USA
| | - Clinton W. Epps
- Department of Fisheries and Wildlife Oregon State University Corvallis OR 97331‐3803 USA
| | - Kelley M. Stewart
- Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Science University of Nevada, Reno Reno NV 89557‐0186 USA
| | - James S. Sedinger
- Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Science University of Nevada, Reno Reno NV 89557‐0186 USA
| | - Jenny G. Powers
- Biological Resources Division National Park Service 1201 Oakridge Drive Fort Collins CO 80525 USA
| | - Ben J. Gonzales
- Wildlife Investigations Laboratory, California Department of Fish and Wildlife 1701 Nimbus Road Rancho Cordova CA 95670‐4503 USA
| | - Regina K. Abella‐Vu
- Wildlife Branch, California Department of Fish and Wildlife 1812 Ninth Street Sacramento CA 95811 USA
| | - Neal W. Darby
- Mojave National Preserve, National Park Service 2701 Barstow Road Barstow CA 92311 USA
| | - Debra L. Hughson
- Mojave National Preserve, National Park Service 2701 Barstow Road Barstow CA 92311 USA
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Heffelfinger LJ, Stewart KM, Shoemaker KT, Darby NW, Bleich VC. Balancing Current and Future Reproductive Investment: Variation in Resource Selection During Stages of Reproduction in a Long-Lived Herbivore. Front Ecol Evol 2020. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2020.00163] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
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Affiliation(s)
- Justin A. Dellinger
- Wildlife Investigations Laboratory, California Department of Fish and Wildlife, 1701 Nimbus Road, Rancho Cordova, CA 95670 (JAD, SGT)
| | - Neal W. Darby
- Mojave National Preserve, 2701 Barstow Road, Barstow, CA 92311 (NWD)
| | - Steven G. Torres
- Wildlife Investigations Laboratory, California Department of Fish and Wildlife, 1701 Nimbus Road, Rancho Cordova, CA 95670 (JAD, SGT)
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Heffelfinger LJ, Stewart KM, Bush AP, Sedinger JS, Darby NW, Bleich VC. Timing of precipitation in an arid environment: Effects on population performance of a large herbivore. Ecol Evol 2018; 8:3354-3366. [PMID: 29607030 PMCID: PMC5869264 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.3718] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2017] [Revised: 10/19/2017] [Accepted: 11/08/2017] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Climate models predict that shifts in temperature and precipitation patterns are likely to occur across the globe. Changing climate will likely have strong effects on arid environments as a result of increased temperatures, increasing frequency and intensity of droughts, and less consistent pulses of rainfall. Therefore, understanding the link between patterns of precipitation, temperature, and population performance of species occupying these environments will continue to increase in importance as climatic shifts occur within these natural ecosystems. We sought to evaluate how individual, maternal, population, and environmental, particularly temperature and precipitation, level factors influence population performance of a large herbivore in an arid environment. We used mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) as a representative species and quantified juvenile survival to test hypotheses about effects of environmental factors on population performance. Precipitation events occurring in mid‐ to late‐pregnancy (January–April) leading to spring green‐up, as indexed by normalized difference in vegetation index, had the strongest positive effect on juvenile survival and recruitment. In addition, larger neonates had an increased probability of survival. Our findings indicate that timing and amount of precipitation prior to parturition have strong influences on maternal nutritional condition, which was passed on to young. These results have important implications for understanding how animal populations may benefit from timing of precipitation during spring and prior to parturition, especially in arid environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Levi J Heffelfinger
- Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences University of Nevada Reno Reno NV USA
| | - Kelley M Stewart
- Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences University of Nevada Reno Reno NV USA
| | - Anthony P Bush
- Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences University of Nevada Reno Reno NV USA
| | - James S Sedinger
- Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences University of Nevada Reno Reno NV USA
| | - Neal W Darby
- Mojave National Preserve National Park Service Barstow CA USA
| | - Vernon C Bleich
- Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences University of Nevada Reno Reno NV USA.,Sierra Nevada Bighorn Sheep Recovery Program California Department of Fish and Game Bishop California USA
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