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Martínez-Navarro B, Gossa T, Carotenuto F, Bartolini-Lucenti S, Palmqvist P, Asrat A, Figueirido B, Rook L, Niespolo EM, Renne PR, Herzlinger G, Hovers E. The earliest Ethiopian wolf: implications for the species evolution and its future survival. Commun Biol 2023; 6:530. [PMID: 37193884 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-023-04908-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2022] [Accepted: 05/03/2023] [Indexed: 05/18/2023] Open
Abstract
In 2017, a hemimandible (MW5-B208), corresponding to the Ethiopian wolf (Canis simensis), was found in a stratigraphically-controlled and radio-isotopically-dated sequence of the Melka Wakena paleoanthropological site-complex, on the Southeastern Ethiopian Highlands, ~ 2300 m above sea level. The specimen is the first and unique Pleistocene fossil of this species. Our data provide an unambiguous minimum age of 1.6-1.4 Ma for the species' presence in Africa and constitutes the first empirical evidence that supports molecular interpretations. Currently, C. simensis is one of the most endangered carnivore species of Africa. Bioclimate niche modeling applied to the time frame indicated by the fossil suggests that the lineage of the Ethiopian wolf faced severe survival challenges in the past, with consecutive drastic geographic range contractions during warmer periods. These models help to describe future scenarios for the survival of the species. Projections ranging from most pessimistic to most optimistic future climatic scenarios indicate significant reduction of the already-deteriorating territories suitable for the Ethiopian Wolf, increasing the threat to the specie's future survival. Additionally, the recovery of the Melka Wakena fossil underscores the importance of work outside the East African Rift System in research of early human origins and associated biodiversity on the African continent.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bienvenido Martínez-Navarro
- ICREA, Pg. Lluís Companys 23, 08010, Barcelona, Spain.
- Institut Català de Paleoecologia Humana i Evolució Social (IPHES-CERCA), Zona Educacional 4, Campus Sescelades URV (Edifici W3), 43007, Tarragona, Spain.
- Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Departament d'Història i Història de l'Art, Avinguda de Catalunya 35, 43002, Tarragona, Spain.
| | - Tegenu Gossa
- Human Evolution Research Center (HERC), The University of California at Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA.
- Institute of Archaeology, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel.
- Department of History and Heritage Management, Arba Minch University, Arba Minch, Ethiopia.
| | - Francesco Carotenuto
- Department of Earth, Environment and Resource Sciences, University of Naples "Federico II", Naples, Italy
| | - Saverio Bartolini-Lucenti
- Earth Science Department, Paleo[Fab]Lab, University of Florence, Via G. La Pira 4, Firenze, 50121, Italy
- Institut Català de Paleontogia M. Crusafont, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, E-08193, Cerdanyola del Vallès, Spain
| | - Paul Palmqvist
- Departamento de Ecología y Geología, Universidad de Málaga, Universidad de Málaga, Campus de Teatinos, 29071, Málaga, Spain
| | - Asfawossen Asrat
- Department of Mining and Geological Engineering, Botswana International University of Science and Technology, Private Bag 16, Palapye, Botswana
- School of Earth Sciences, Addis Ababa University, P. O. Box 1176, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
| | - Borja Figueirido
- Departamento de Ecología y Geología, Universidad de Málaga, Universidad de Málaga, Campus de Teatinos, 29071, Málaga, Spain
| | - Lorenzo Rook
- Earth Science Department, Paleo[Fab]Lab, University of Florence, Via G. La Pira 4, Firenze, 50121, Italy
| | - Elizabeth M Niespolo
- Department of Geosciences, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
- Department of Earth and Planetary Science, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
- Berkeley Geochronology Center, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Paul R Renne
- Department of Earth and Planetary Science, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
- Berkeley Geochronology Center, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Gadi Herzlinger
- Institute of Archaeology, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Erella Hovers
- Institute of Archaeology, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel.
- Institute of Human Origins, Arizona State University, Tempe, USA.
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Macdonald DW, Campbell LAD, Kamler JF, Marino J, Werhahn G, Sillero-Zubiri C. Monogamy: Cause, Consequence, or Corollary of Success in Wild Canids? Front Ecol Evol 2019. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2019.00341] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
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Macdonald DW. Animal behaviour and its role in carnivore conservation: examples of seven deadly threats. Anim Behav 2016. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2016.06.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
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Stier AC, Samhouri JF, Novak M, Marshall KN, Ward EJ, Holt RD, Levin PS. Ecosystem context and historical contingency in apex predator recoveries. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2016; 2:e1501769. [PMID: 27386535 PMCID: PMC4928970 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.1501769] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2015] [Accepted: 04/30/2016] [Indexed: 05/28/2023]
Abstract
Habitat loss, overexploitation, and numerous other stressors have caused global declines in apex predators. This "trophic downgrading" has generated widespread concern because of the fundamental role that apex predators can play in ecosystem functioning, disease regulation, and biodiversity maintenance. In attempts to combat declines, managers have conducted reintroductions, imposed stricter harvest regulations, and implemented protected areas. We suggest that full recovery of viable apex predator populations is currently the exception rather than the rule. We argue that, in addition to well-known considerations, such as continued exploitation and slow life histories, there are several underappreciated factors that complicate predator recoveries. These factors include three challenges. First, a priori identification of the suite of trophic interactions, such as resource limitation and competition that will influence recovery can be difficult. Second, defining and accomplishing predator recovery in the context of a dynamic ecosystem requires an appreciation of the timing of recovery, which can determine the relative density of apex predators and other predators and therefore affect competitive outcomes. Third, successful recovery programs require designing adaptive sequences of management strategies that embrace key environmental and species interactions as they emerge. Consideration of recent research on food web modules, alternative stable states, and community assembly offer important insights for predator recovery efforts and restoration ecology more generally. Foremost among these is the importance of a social-ecological perspective in facilitating a long-lasting predator restoration while avoiding unintended consequences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adrian C. Stier
- National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis, 735 State Street, Santa Barbara, CA 93101, USA
- School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences, University of Washington, 1122 Northeast Boat Street, Seattle, WA 98105, USA
| | - Jameal F. Samhouri
- Conservation Biology Division, Northwest Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Seattle, WA 98112, USA
| | - Mark Novak
- Department of Integrative Biology, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331, USA
| | - Kristin N. Marshall
- Conservation Biology Division, Northwest Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Seattle, WA 98112, USA
| | - Eric J. Ward
- Conservation Biology Division, Northwest Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Seattle, WA 98112, USA
| | - Robert D. Holt
- Department of Biology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA
| | - Phillip S. Levin
- Conservation Biology Division, Northwest Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Seattle, WA 98112, USA
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Gordon CH, Banyard AC, Hussein A, Laurenson MK, Malcolm JR, Marino J, Regassa F, Stewart AME, Fooks AR, Sillero-Zubiri C. Canine distemper in endangered Ethiopian wolves. Emerg Infect Dis 2016; 21:824-32. [PMID: 25898177 PMCID: PMC4412237 DOI: 10.3201/eid2105.141920] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Investigation into mortalities within endangered species can direct conservation efforts. The Ethiopian wolf (Canis simensis) is the world’s rarest canid; ≈500 wolves remain. The largest population is found within the Bale Mountains National Park (BMNP) in southeastern Ethiopia, where conservation efforts have demonstrated the negative effect of rabies virus on wolf populations. We describe previously unreported infections with canine distemper virus (CDV) among these wolves during 2005–2006 and 2010. Death rates ranged from 43% to 68% in affected subpopulations and were higher for subadult than adult wolves (83%–87% vs. 34%–39%). The 2010 CDV outbreak started 20 months after a rabies outbreak, before the population had fully recovered, and led to the eradication of several focal packs in BMNP’s Web Valley. The combined effect of rabies and CDV increases the chance of pack extinction, exacerbating the typically slow recovery of wolf populations, and represents a key extinction threat to populations of this highly endangered carnivore.
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Davies-Mostert HT, Mills MG, Macdonald DW. The Demography and Dynamics of an Expanding, Managed African Wild Dog Metapopulation. AFRICAN JOURNAL OF WILDLIFE RESEARCH 2015. [DOI: 10.3957/056.045.0258] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/01/2022]
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Abstract
AbstractEthiopian wolves,Canis simensis, are an endangered carnivore endemic to the Ethiopian highlands. Although previous studies have focused on aspects of Ethiopian wolf biology, including diet, territoriality, reproduction and infectious diseases such as rabies, little is known of their helminth parasites. In the current study, faecal samples were collected from 94 wild Ethiopian wolves in the Bale Mountains of southern Ethiopia, between August 2008 and February 2010, and were screened for the presence of helminth eggs using a semi-quantitative volumetric dilution method with microscopy. We found that 66 of the 94 faecal samples (70.2%) contained eggs from at least one group of helminths, includingCapillaria,Toxocara,Trichuris, ancylostomatids,Hymenolepisand taeniids. Eggs ofCapillariasp. were found most commonly, followed byTrichurissp., ancylostomatid species andToxocaraspecies. Three samples containedHymenolepissp. eggs, which were likely artefacts from ingested prey species. Four samples contained taeniid eggs, one of which was copro-polymerase chain reaction (copro-PCR) and sequence positive forEchinococcus granulosus, suggesting a spillover from a domestic parasite cycle into this wildlife species. Associations between presence/absence ofCapillaria,ToxocaraandTrichuriseggs were found; and egg burdens ofToxocaraand ancylostomatids were found to be associated with geographical location and sampling season.
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van Kesteren F, Paris M, Macdonald DW, Millar R, Argaw K, Johnson PJ, Farstad W, Sillero-Zubiri C. The physiology of cooperative breeding in a rare social canid; sex, suppression and pseudopregnancy in female Ethiopian wolves. Physiol Behav 2013; 122:39-45. [PMID: 23994497 DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2013.08.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2011] [Revised: 06/30/2012] [Accepted: 08/12/2013] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
Ethiopian wolves, Canis simensis, differ from other cooperatively breeding canids in that they combine intense sociality with solitary foraging, making them a suitable species in which to study the physiology of cooperative breeding. The reproductive physiology of twenty wild female Ethiopian wolves (eleven dominant and nine subordinate) in Ethiopia's Bale Mountains National Park was studied non-invasively through the extraction and assaying of estradiol, progesterone and glucocorticoids in collected fecal samples using enzyme and radioimmunoassays. All dominant females showed increased estradiol concentrations and/or mating behavior during the annual mating season. In contrast, none of the subordinate females showed increased estradiol concentrations or mating behavior during the mating season. However, two subordinate females came into estrus outside of the mating season. Both dominant and subordinate females had higher average progesterone concentrations during the dominant female's pregnancy than at other times of the year, and two subordinate females allosuckled the dominant female's pups. No statistically significant differences in glucocorticoid concentrations were found between dominant and subordinate females. These results suggest that subordinate females are reproductively suppressed during the annual mating season, but may ovulate outside of the mating season and become pseudopregnant. No evidence was found to suggest that reproductive suppression in subordinate females was regulated through aggressive behaviors, and no relationship was found between fecal glucocorticoids and dominance status.
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Affiliation(s)
- Freya van Kesteren
- Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, The Recanati-Kaplan Centre, Tubney House, Tubney OX13 5QL, UK; Ethiopian Wolf Conservation Programme, PO Box 215, Robe, Bale, Ethiopia; Institute for Breeding Rare and Endangered African Mammals (IBREAM), Mammal Research Institute, University of Pretoria, Lynnwood Road, Pretoria 0028, South Africa.
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Marino J, Sillero-Zubiri C, Gottelli D, Johnson PJ, Macdonald DW. The fall and rise of Ethiopian wolves: lessons for conservation of long-lived, social predators. Anim Conserv 2013. [DOI: 10.1111/acv.12036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- J. Marino
- Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, Zoology; University of Oxford, The Recanati-Kaplan Centre; Tubney UK
| | - C. Sillero-Zubiri
- Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, Zoology; University of Oxford, The Recanati-Kaplan Centre; Tubney UK
| | - D. Gottelli
- Institute of Zoology; Zoological Society of London; London UK
| | - P. J. Johnson
- Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, Zoology; University of Oxford, The Recanati-Kaplan Centre; Tubney UK
| | - D. W. Macdonald
- Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, Zoology; University of Oxford, The Recanati-Kaplan Centre; Tubney UK
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van Kesteren F, Sillero-Zubiri C, Millar R, Argaw K, Macdonald DW, Paris M. Sex, stress and social status: patterns in fecal testosterone and glucocorticoid metabolites in male Ethiopian wolves. Gen Comp Endocrinol 2012; 179:30-7. [PMID: 22841807 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygcen.2012.07.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2011] [Revised: 07/15/2012] [Accepted: 07/18/2012] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Ethiopian wolves, Canis simensis, live in large multi-male family packs, where males are philopatric and do not disperse. Within a pack, mating and breeding is largely monopolized by the dominant male and female, although extra-pack copulations are common, and subordinate males may sire pups in neighboring packs. Regardless of paternity, all males in a pack help rear the pups. We non-invasively studied patterns in fecal testosterone and glucocorticoid metabolite concentrations using radioimmunoassays of fecal samples collected from nine wild male Ethiopian wolves between August 2007 and February 2008. We tested the predictions of the Challenge Hypothesis, namely that fecal testosterone metabolite concentrations would be higher during the annual mating season, which is the portion of the reproductive cycle when mating and increased aggression typically occur, and lower when there were pups in the pack for which to care. Contrary to the predictions of the Challenge Hypothesis, we did not detect patterns in fecal testosterone metabolite concentrations associated with reproductive stage during our study period. Similarly, we found no patterns associated with reproductive stage in male fecal glucocorticoid metabolite concentrations. Dominant males had higher average fecal testosterone and glucocorticoid metabolite concentrations than did subordinates, which may be related to higher rates of aggression and mate guarding in dominant males of group-living canids, a pattern also reported in African wild dogs, Lycaon pictus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Freya van Kesteren
- Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Recanati-Kaplan Centre, Tubney House, Tubney OX13 5QL, United Kingdom.
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Marino J, Sillero-Zubiri C, Johnson PJ, Macdonald DW. Ecological bases of philopatry and cooperation in Ethiopian wolves. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2012. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-012-1348-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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12
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Vial F, Macdonald DW, Haydon DT. Limits to exploitation: dynamic food web models predict the impact of livestock grazing on Ethiopian wolves Canis simensis and their prey. J Appl Ecol 2011. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2664.2010.01943.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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Vial F, Sillero-Zubiri C, Marino J, Haydon DT, Macdonald DW. An analysis of long-term trends in the abundance of domestic livestock and free-roaming dogs in the Bale Mountains National Park, Ethiopia. Afr J Ecol 2010. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2028.2010.01233.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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Fine-scale genetic structure in Ethiopian wolves imposed by sociality, migration, and population bottlenecks. CONSERV GENET 2009. [DOI: 10.1007/s10592-009-0005-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
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EVANGELISTA P, ENGEMAN R, TALLENTS L. Testing a passive tracking index for monitoring the endangered Ethiopian wolf. Integr Zool 2009; 4:172-178. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1749-4877.2009.00147.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
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Abstract
Zoonoses in wildlife not only play an important ecological role, but pose significant threats to the health of humans, domestic animals and some endangered species. More than two-thirds of emerging, or re-emerging, infectious diseases are thought to originate in wildlife. Despite this, co-ordinated surveillance schemes are rare, and most efforts at disease control operate at the level of crisis management. This review examines the pathways linking zoonoses in wildlife with infection in other hosts, using examples from a range of key zoonoses, including European bat lyssaviruses and bovine tuberculosis. Ecologically based control, including the management of conditions leading to spill-overs into target host populations, is likely to be more effective and sustainable than simple reductions in wildlife populations alone.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fiona Mathews
- University of Exeter, Hatherly Laboratories, Exeter, United Kingdom
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Garshelis DL, Hao W, Dajun W, Xiaojian Z, Sheng L, McShea WJ. Do Revised Giant Panda Population Estimates Aid in Their Conservation. URSUS 2008. [DOI: 10.2192/07per011.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
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Knobel DL, Fooks AR, Brookes SM, Randall DA, Williams SD, Argaw K, Shiferaw F, Tallents LA, Laurenson MK. Trapping and vaccination of endangered Ethiopian wolves to control an outbreak of rabies. J Appl Ecol 2007. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2664.2007.01387.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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Randall DA, Pollinger JP, Wayne RK, Tallents LA, Johnson PJ, Macdonald DW. Inbreeding is reduced by female-biased dispersal and mating behavior in Ethiopian wolves. Behav Ecol 2007. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arm010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
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Haydon DT, Randall DA, Matthews L, Knobel DL, Tallents LA, Gravenor MB, Williams SD, Pollinger JP, Cleaveland S, Woolhouse MEJ, Sillero-Zubiri C, Marino J, Macdonald DW, Laurenson MK. Low-coverage vaccination strategies for the conservation of endangered species. Nature 2006; 443:692-5. [PMID: 17036003 DOI: 10.1038/nature05177] [Citation(s) in RCA: 135] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2006] [Accepted: 08/15/2006] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Abstract
The conventional objective of vaccination programmes is to eliminate infection by reducing the reproduction number of an infectious agent to less than one, which generally requires vaccination of the majority of individuals. In populations of endangered wildlife, the intervention required to deliver such coverage can be undesirable and impractical; however, endangered populations are increasingly threatened by outbreaks of infectious disease for which effective vaccines exist. As an alternative, wildlife epidemiologists could adopt a vaccination strategy that protects a population from the consequences of only the largest outbreaks of disease. Here we provide a successful example of this strategy in the Ethiopian wolf, the world's rarest canid, which persists in small subpopulations threatened by repeated outbreaks of rabies introduced by domestic dogs. On the basis of data from past outbreaks, we propose an approach that controls the spread of disease through habitat corridors between subpopulations and that requires only low vaccination coverage. This approach reduces the extent of rabies outbreaks and should significantly enhance the long-term persistence of the population. Our study shows that vaccination used to enhance metapopulation persistence through elimination of the largest outbreaks of disease requires lower coverage than the conventional objective of reducing the reproduction number of an infectious agent to less than one.
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Affiliation(s)
- D T Haydon
- Division of Environmental and Evolutionary Biology, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8QQ, UK.
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