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Duda R, Betoulet JM, Besombes C, Mbrenga F, Borzykh Y, Nakouné E, Giles-Vernick T. A time of decline: An eco-anthropological and ethnohistorical investigation of mpox in the Central African Republic. PLOS Glob Public Health 2024; 4:e0002937. [PMID: 38517925 PMCID: PMC10959331 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgph.0002937] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2023] [Accepted: 01/29/2024] [Indexed: 03/24/2024]
Abstract
The Central African Republic (CAR) has experienced repeated mpox outbreaks since 2001. Although several mpox epidemiological risk factors for zoonotic and interhuman transmission have been documented, the reasons for more frequent epidemic outbreaks are less well understood, relying on vague explanatory categories, including deforestation, hunting, and civil unrest. To gain insight into increasingly frequent outbreaks, we undertook an ethnohistorical, eco-anthropological analysis in two CAR regions: the Lobaye prefecture, experiencing one or more annual outbreaks in the past decade, and the Sangha-Mbaere prefecture, with a longer history of mpox but less frequent outbreaks. We comparatively examined changing political economies, forest use practices, and understandings of mpox. In 2022, we conducted 40 qualitative ethnohistorical, anthropological interviews and participant-observation of forest activities in two languages (Sango and French). We compared contemporary practices with hunting, trapping, and meet consumption practices, documented through quantitative and qualitative observation in one research site, over 6 months in 1993. We find increased rodent capture and consumption in both sites in the past 30 years and expanded practices of other potentially risky activities. Simultaneously, we also identify important differences in risky practices between our Lobaye and Sangha-Mbaere participants. In addition, Lobaye and Sangha participants underscored historical processes of decline producing mpox among other emergences, but they framed these declension processes diversely as economic, political, nutritional, and moral. Our findings are important because they mobilize new types of evidence to shed light on the processual dynamics of mpox outbreaks in the CAR. This study also reveals variability across two sites within the same country, highlighting the importance of comparative, fine-grained anthropological and historical research to identify underlying dynamics of mpox outbreaks. Finally, our study points to the need for mpox interventions and risk communication accounting for these regional differences, even within a single country.
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Affiliation(s)
- Romain Duda
- Anthropology & Ecology of Disease Emergence Unit, Department of Global Health, Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, Paris, France
| | - José Martial Betoulet
- Ndima Kali, Baaka and Sangha-Sangha Youth Association, Bayanga, Central African Republic
- Dzanga-Sangha Protected Areas (DSPA-WWF), Bayanga, Central African Republic
| | - Camille Besombes
- Epidemiology of Emerging Diseases Unit, Department of Global Health, Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, Paris, France
| | - Festus Mbrenga
- Department of Virology, Institut Pasteur de Bangui, Bangui, Central African Republic
| | - Yanina Borzykh
- Anthropology & Ecology of Disease Emergence Unit, Department of Global Health, Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, Paris, France
| | - Emmanuel Nakouné
- Department of Virology, Institut Pasteur de Bangui, Bangui, Central African Republic
| | - Tamara Giles-Vernick
- Anthropology & Ecology of Disease Emergence Unit, Department of Global Health, Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, Paris, France
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Bergstrom BJ, Scruggs SB, Vieira EM. Tropical savanna small mammals respond to loss of cover following disturbance: A global review of field studies. Front Ecol Evol 2023. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2023.1017361] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Small-mammal faunas of tropical savannas consist of endemic assemblages of murid rodents, small marsupials, and insectivores on four continents. Small mammals in tropical savannas are understudied compared to other tropical habitats and other taxonomic groups (e.g., Afrotropical megafauna or Neotropical rainforest mammals). Their importance as prey, ecosystem engineers, disease reservoirs, and declining members of endemic biodiversity in tropical savannas compels us to understand the factors that regulate their abundance and diversity. We reviewed field studies published in the last 35 years that examined, mostly experimentally, the effects of varying three primary endogenous disturbances in tropical savanna ecosystems—fire, large mammalian herbivory (LMH), and drought—on abundance and diversity of non-volant small mammals. These disturbances are most likely to affect habitat structure (cover or concealment), food availability, or both, for ground-dwelling small mammalian herbivores, omnivores, and insectivores. Of 63 studies (included in 55 published papers) meeting these criteria from the Afrotropics, Neotropics, and northern Australia (none was found from southern Asia), 29 studies concluded that small mammals responded (mostly negatively) to a loss of cover (mostly from LMH and fire); four found evidence of increased predation on small mammals in lower-cover treatments (e.g., grazed or burned). Eighteen studies concluded a combination of food- and cover-limitation explained small-mammal responses to endogenous disturbances. Only two studies concluded small-mammal declines in response to habitat-altering disturbance were caused by food limitation and not related to cover reduction. Evidence to date indicates that abundance and richness of small savanna mammals, in general (with important exceptions), is enhanced by vegetative cover (especially tall grass, but sometimes shrub cover) as refugia for these prey species amid a “landscape of fear,” particularly for diurnal, non-cursorial, and non-fossorial species. These species have been called “decreasers” in response to cover reduction, whereas a minority of small-mammal species have been shown to be “increasers” or disturbance-tolerant. Complex relationships between endogenous disturbances and small-mammal food resources are important secondary factors, but only six studies manipulated or measured food resources simultaneous to habitat manipulations. While more such studies are needed, designing effective ones for cryptic consumer communities of omnivorous dietary opportunists is a significant challenge.
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Hughes LJ, Morton O, Scheffers BR, Edwards DP. The ecological drivers and consequences of wildlife trade. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2022; 98:775-791. [PMID: 36572536 DOI: 10.1111/brv.12929] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2021] [Revised: 12/11/2022] [Accepted: 12/14/2022] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
Wildlife trade is a key driver of extinction risk, affecting at least 24% of terrestrial vertebrates. The persistent removal of species can have profound impacts on species extinction risk and selection within populations. We draw together the first review of characteristics known to drive species use - identifying species with larger body sizes, greater abundance, increased rarity or certain morphological traits valued by consumers as being particularly prevalent in trade. We then review the ecological implications of this trade-driven selection, revealing direct effects of trade on natural selection and populations for traded species, which includes selection against desirable traits. Additionally, there exists a positive feedback loop between rarity and trade and depleted populations tend to have easy human access points, which can result in species being harvested to extinction and has the potential to alter source-sink dynamics. Wider cascading ecosystem repercussions from trade-induced declines include altered seed dispersal networks, trophic cascades, long-term compositional changes in plant communities, altered forest carbon stocks, and the introduction of harmful invasive species. Because it occurs across multiple scales with diverse drivers, wildlife trade requires multi-faceted conservation actions to maintain biodiversity and ecological function, including regulatory and enforcement approaches, bottom-up and community-based interventions, captive breeding or wildlife farming, and conservation translocations and trophic rewilding. We highlight three emergent research themes at the intersection of trade and community ecology: (1) functional impacts of trade; (2) altered provisioning of ecosystem services; and (3) prevalence of trade-dispersed diseases. Outside of the primary objective that exploitation is sustainable for traded species, we must urgently incorporate consideration of the broader consequences for other species and ecosystem processes when quantifying sustainability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liam J. Hughes
- Ecology and Evolutionary Biology School of Biosciences, University of Sheffield South Yorks S10 2TN Sheffield UK
| | - Oscar Morton
- Ecology and Evolutionary Biology School of Biosciences, University of Sheffield South Yorks S10 2TN Sheffield UK
| | - Brett R. Scheffers
- Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida Gainesville FL 32611 USA
| | - David P. Edwards
- Ecology and Evolutionary Biology School of Biosciences, University of Sheffield South Yorks S10 2TN Sheffield UK
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Laverty TM, Berger J. Indirect effects of African megaherbivore conservation on bat diversity in the world's oldest desert. Conserv Biol 2022; 36:e13780. [PMID: 34061400 DOI: 10.1111/cobi.13780] [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] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2020] [Revised: 05/22/2021] [Accepted: 05/24/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
In extreme environments, temperature and precipitation are often the main forces responsible for structuring ecological communities and species distributions. The role of biotic interactions is typically thought to be minimal. By clustering around rare and isolated features, like surface water, however, effects of herbivory by desert-dwelling wildlife can be amplified. Understanding how species interact in these environments is critical to safeguarding vulnerable or data-deficient species. We examined whether African elephants (Loxodonta africana), black rhinoceros (Diceros bicornis), and southern giraffe (Giraffa giraffa) modulate insectivorous bat communities around permanent waterholes in the Namib Desert. We estimated megaherbivore use of sites based on dung transects, summarized vegetation productivity from satellite measurements of the normalized difference vegetation index, and surveyed local bat communities acoustically. We used structural equation models to identify relationships among megaherbivores and bat species richness and dry- (November 2016-January 2017) and wet- (February-May 2017) season bat activity. Site-level megaherbivore use in the dry season was positively associated with bat activity-particularly that of open-air foragers-and species richness through indirect pathways. When resources were more abundant (wet season), however, these relationships were weakened. Our results indicate that biotic interactions contribute to species distributions in desert areas and suggest the conservation of megaherbivores in this ecosystem may indirectly benefit insectivorous bat abundance and diversity. Given that how misunderstood and understudied most bats are relative to other mammals, such findings suggest that managers pursue short-term solutions (e.g., community game guard programs, water-point protection near human settlements, and ecotourism) to indirectly promote bat conservation and that research includes megaherbivores' effects on biodiversity at other trophic levels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Theresa M Laverty
- Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA
| | - Joel Berger
- Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA
- Wildlife Conservation Society, Bronx, New York, USA
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Affiliation(s)
- Julia D. Monk
- School of the Environment, Yale Univ. New Haven CT USA
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Villar N, Rocha-Mendes F, Guevara R, Galetti M. Large herbivore-palm interactions modulate the spatial structure of seedling communities and productivity in Neotropical forests. Perspect Ecol Conserv 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.pecon.2021.10.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022] Open
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7
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Perrin A, Khimoun A, Faivre B, Ollivier A, de Pracontal N, Théron F, Loubon M, Leblond G, Duron O, Garnier S. Habitat fragmentation differentially shapes neutral and immune gene variation in a tropical bird species. Heredity (Edinb) 2021; 126:148-162. [PMID: 32934360 PMCID: PMC7853120 DOI: 10.1038/s41437-020-00366-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2020] [Revised: 08/30/2020] [Accepted: 08/30/2020] [Indexed: 01/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Habitat fragmentation is a major cause of biodiversity loss, responsible for an alteration of intraspecific patterns of neutral genetic diversity and structure. Although neutral genetic variation can be informative for demographic inferences, it may be a poor predictor of adaptive genetic diversity and thus of the consequences of habitat fragmentation on selective evolutionary processes. In this context, we contrasted patterns of genetic diversity and structure of neutral loci (microsatellites) and immune genes (i.e., toll-like receptors) in an understorey bird species, the wedge-billed woodcreeper Glyphorynchus spirurus. The objectives were (1) to investigate forest fragmentation effects on population genetic diversity, (2) to disentangle the relative role of demography (genetic drift and migration) and selection, and (3) to assess whether immunogenetic patterns could be associated with variation of ectoparasite (i.e., ticks) pressures. Our results revealed an erosion of neutral genetic diversity and a substantial genetic differentiation among fragmented populations, resulting from a decrease in landscape connectivity and leading to the divergence of distinct genetic pools at a small spatial scale. Patterns of genetic diversity observed for TLR4 and TLR5 were concordant with neutral genetic patterns, whereas those observed for TLR3 and TLR21 were discordant. This result underlines that the dominant evolutionary force shaping immunogenetic diversity (genetic drift vs. selection) may be different depending on loci considered. Finally, tick prevalence was higher in fragmented environments. We discussed the hypothesis that pathogen selective pressures may contribute to maintain adaptive genetic diversity despite the negative demographic effect of habitat fragmentation on neutral genetic diversity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antoine Perrin
- Biogéosciences, UMR 6282 CNRS, Université Bourgogne Franche-Comté, 6 Boulevard Gabriel, 21000, Dijon, France.
| | - Aurélie Khimoun
- Biogéosciences, UMR 6282 CNRS, Université Bourgogne Franche-Comté, 6 Boulevard Gabriel, 21000, Dijon, France
| | - Bruno Faivre
- Biogéosciences, UMR 6282 CNRS, Université Bourgogne Franche-Comté, 6 Boulevard Gabriel, 21000, Dijon, France
| | - Anthony Ollivier
- Biogéosciences, UMR 6282 CNRS, Université Bourgogne Franche-Comté, 6 Boulevard Gabriel, 21000, Dijon, France
| | - Nyls de Pracontal
- Groupe d'Etude et de Protection des Oiseaux en Guyane, 431 route d'Attila Cabassou, 97354, Rémire-Montjoly, France
| | - Franck Théron
- Groupe d'Etude et de Protection des Oiseaux en Guyane, 431 route d'Attila Cabassou, 97354, Rémire-Montjoly, France
| | - Maxime Loubon
- Groupe d'Etude et de Protection des Oiseaux en Guyane, 431 route d'Attila Cabassou, 97354, Rémire-Montjoly, France
| | - Gilles Leblond
- SARL BIOS, Route de Davidon, Duzer, 97115, Sainte-Rose, France
| | - Olivier Duron
- Maladies Infectieuses et Vecteurs: Ecologie, Génétique, Evolution et Contrôle (MIVEGEC), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Institut pour la Recherche et le Développement (IRD), Université de Montpellier (UM), Montpellier, France
| | - Stéphane Garnier
- Biogéosciences, UMR 6282 CNRS, Université Bourgogne Franche-Comté, 6 Boulevard Gabriel, 21000, Dijon, France
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Bovendorp RS, Heming NM, Percequillo AR. Bottom-up effect: a rodent outbreak following the bamboo blooming in a Neotropical rainforest. MAMMAL RES 2020. [DOI: 10.1007/s13364-020-00505-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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Graham SI, Kinnaird MF, O'Brien TG, Vågen TG, Winowiecki LA, Young TP, Young HS. Effects of land-use change on community diversity and composition are highly variable among functional groups. Ecol Appl 2019; 29:e01973. [PMID: 31306541 DOI: 10.1002/eap.1973] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/28/2018] [Revised: 04/30/2019] [Accepted: 06/14/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
In order to understand how the effects of land-use change vary among taxa and environmental contexts, we investigate how three types of land-use change have influenced phylogenetic diversity (PD) and species composition of three functionally distinct communities: plants, small mammals, and large mammals. We found large mammal communities were by far the most heavily impacted by land-use change, with areas of attempted large wildlife exclusion and intense livestock grazing, respectively, containing 164 and 165 million fewer years of evolutionary history than conserved areas (~40% declines). The effects of land-use change on PD varied substantially across taxa, type of land-use change, and, for most groups, also across abiotic conditions. This highlights the need for taxa-specific or multi-taxa evaluations, for managers interested in conserving specific groups or whole communities, respectively. It also suggests that efforts to conserve and restore PD may be most successful if they focus on areas of particular land-use types and abiotic conditions. Importantly, we also describe the substantial species turnover and compositional changes that cannot be detected by alpha diversity metrics, emphasizing that neither PD nor other taxonomic diversity metrics are sufficient proxies for ecological integrity. Finally, our results provide further support for the emerging consensus that conserved landscapes are critical to support intact assemblages of some lineages such as large mammals, but that mosaics of disturbed land-uses, including both agricultural and pastoral land, do provide important habitats for a diverse array of plants and small mammals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stuart I Graham
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Marine Biology and the Marine Science Institute, University of California, Santa Barbara, California, 93106, USA
| | - Margaret F Kinnaird
- World Wide Fund for Nature International, P.O. Box 62440-00200, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Timothy G O'Brien
- Wildlife Conservation Society, 2300 Southern Blvd, Bronx, New York, 10460, USA
| | - Tor-G Vågen
- World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF), P.O. Box 30677, Nairobi, Kenya
| | | | - Truman P Young
- Department of Plant Sciences, University of California, Davis, California, 95616, USA
| | - Hillary S Young
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Marine Biology and the Marine Science Institute, University of California, Santa Barbara, California, 93106, USA
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Louthan A, Valencia E, Martins DJ, Guy T, Goheen J, Palmer T, Doak D. Large mammals generate both top-down effects and extended trophic cascades on floral-visitor assemblages. J Trop Ecol 2019; 35:185-98. [DOI: 10.1017/s0266467419000142] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
AbstractCascading effects of high trophic levels onto lower trophic levels have been documented in many ecosystems. Some studies also show evidence of extended trophic cascades, in which guilds dependent on lower trophic levels, but uninvolved in the trophic cascade themselves, are affected by the trophic cascade due to their dependence on lower trophic levels. Top-down effects of large mammals on plants could lead to a variety of extended trophic cascades on the many guilds dependent on plants, such as pollinators. In this study, floral-visitor and floral abundances and assemblages were quantified within a series of 1-ha manipulations of large-mammalian herbivore density in an African savanna. Top-down effects of large mammals on the composition of flowers available for floral visitors are first shown, using regressions of herbivore activity on metrics of floral and floral-visitor assemblages. An extended trophic cascade is also shown: the floral assemblage further altered the assemblage of floral visitors, according to a variety of approaches, including a structural equation modelling approach (model with an extended trophic cascade was supported over a model without, AICc weight = 0.984). Our study provides support for extended trophic cascades affecting floral visitors, suggesting that trophic cascades can have impacts throughout entire communities.
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Sanders LE, Chalfoun AD. Mechanisms underlying increased nest predation in natural gas fields: a test of the mesopredator release hypothesis. Ecosphere 2019; 10. [DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.2738] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022] Open
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Johnson EE, Escobar LE, Zambrana-Torrelio C. An Ecological Framework for Modeling the Geography of Disease Transmission. Trends Ecol Evol 2019; 34:655-668. [PMID: 31078330 PMCID: PMC7114676 DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2019.03.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 64] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.8] [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: 06/22/2018] [Revised: 03/01/2019] [Accepted: 03/18/2019] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
Ecological niche modeling (ENM) is widely employed in ecology to predict species’ potential geographic distributions in relation to their environmental constraints and is rapidly becoming the gold-standard method for disease risk mapping. However, given the biological complexity of disease systems, the traditional ENM framework requires reevaluation. We provide an overview of the application of ENM to disease systems and propose a theoretical framework based on the biological properties of both hosts and parasites to produce reliable outputs resembling disease system distributions. Additionally, we discuss the differences between biological considerations when implementing ENM for distributional ecology and epidemiology. This new framework will help the field of disease ecology and applications of biogeography in the epidemiology of infectious diseases. Infectious diseases greatly impact human health, biodiversity, and global economies, highlighting the need to understand and predict their distributions. Ecological niche modeling (ENM) was not originally designed to explicitly reconstruct complex biological phenomena such as diseases or parasitism, requiring a reevaluation of the traditional framework. We provide an integrative ENM framework for disease systems that considers suitable host availability, parasite ecologies, and different scales of modeling. Disease transmission is driven by factors related to parasite availability and host exposure and susceptibility, which can be incorporated in ENM frameworks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erica E Johnson
- EcoHealth Alliance, 460 W. 34th Street, New York, NY, USA; Current Address: Department of Biology, City College of the City University of New York, New York, NY 10031, USA; Graduate Center of the City University of New York, New York, NY 10016, USA
| | - Luis E Escobar
- Department of Fish and Wildlife Conservation, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA
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Chislock MF, Sarnelle O, Jernigan LM, Anderson VR, Abebe A, Wilson AE. Consumer adaptation mediates top-down regulation across a productivity gradient. Oecologia 2019; 190:195-205. [PMID: 30989361 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-019-04401-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2018] [Accepted: 04/08/2019] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
Abstract
Humans have artificially enhanced the productivity of terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems on a global scale by increasing nutrient loading. While the consequences of eutrophication are well known (e.g., harmful algal blooms and toxic cyanobacteria), most studies tend to examine short-term responses relative to the time scales of heritable adaptive change. Thus, the potential role of adaptation by organisms in stabilizing the response of ecological systems to such perturbations is largely unknown. We tested the hypothesis that adaptation by a generalist consumer (Daphnia pulicaria) to toxic prey (cyanobacteria) mediates the response of plankton communities to nutrient enrichment. Overall, the strength of Daphnia's top-down effect on primary producer biomass increased with productivity. However, these effects were contingent on prey traits (e.g., rare vs. common toxic cyanobacteria) and consumer genotype (i.e., tolerant vs sensitive to toxic cyanobacteria). Tolerant Daphnia strongly suppressed toxic cyanobacteria in nutrient-rich ponds, but sensitive Daphnia did not. In contrast, both tolerant and sensitive Daphnia genotypes had comparable effects on producer biomass when toxic cyanobacteria were absent. Our results demonstrate that organismal adaptation is critical for understanding and predicting ecosystem-level consequences of anthropogenic environmental perturbations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael F Chislock
- School of Fisheries, Aquaculture, and Aquatic Sciences, 203 Swingle Hall, Auburn University, Auburn, AL, 36849, USA.,Department of Environmental Science and Ecology, The College at Brockport, State University of New York, Brockport, NY, 14420, USA
| | - Orlando Sarnelle
- Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, 48824, USA
| | - Lauren M Jernigan
- School of Fisheries, Aquaculture, and Aquatic Sciences, 203 Swingle Hall, Auburn University, Auburn, AL, 36849, USA
| | - Vernon R Anderson
- School of Fisheries, Aquaculture, and Aquatic Sciences, 203 Swingle Hall, Auburn University, Auburn, AL, 36849, USA
| | - Ash Abebe
- Department of Mathematics and Statistics, Auburn University, Auburn, AL, 36849, USA
| | - Alan E Wilson
- School of Fisheries, Aquaculture, and Aquatic Sciences, 203 Swingle Hall, Auburn University, Auburn, AL, 36849, USA.
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Ellis TD, Cushman JH. Indirect effects of a large mammalian herbivore on small mammal populations: Context-dependent variation across habitat types, mammal species, and seasons. Ecol Evol 2018; 8:12115-12125. [PMID: 30598804 PMCID: PMC6303759 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.4670] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [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: 07/04/2018] [Revised: 09/12/2018] [Accepted: 09/13/2018] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Multiple consumer species frequently co-occur in the same landscape and, through effects on surrounding environments, can interact in direct and indirect ways. These interactions can vary in occurrence and importance, and focusing on this variation is critical for understanding the dynamics of interactions among consumers. Large mammalian herbivores are important engineers of ecosystems worldwide, have substantial impacts on vegetation, and can indirectly affect small-mammal populations. However, the degree to which such indirect effects vary within the same system has received minimal attention. We used a 16-year-old exclosure experiment, stratified across a heterogeneous landscape, to evaluate the importance of context-dependent interactions between tule elk (Cervus canadensis nannodes) and small mammals (deer mice [Peromyscus maniculatus], meadow voles [Microtus californicus], and harvest mice [Reithrodontymys megalotis]) in a coastal grassland in California. Effects of elk on voles varied among habitats and seasons: In open grasslands, elk reduced vole numbers during fall 2013 but not summer 2014; in Lupinus-dominated grasslands, elk reduced vole numbers during summer 2014 but not fall 2013; and in Baccharis-dominated grasslands, elk had no effect on vole numbers in either season. Effects of elk on the two mice species also varied among habitats and seasons, but often in different ways from voles and each other. In fall 2013, elk decreased mice abundances in Lupinus-dominated grasslands, but not in Baccharis-dominated or open grasslands. In summer 2014, elk decreased the abundance of harvest mice consistently across habitat types. In contrast, elk increased deer-mice numbers in open grasslands but not other habitats. Within the same heterogenous study system, the influence of elk on small mammals was strongly context-dependent, varying among habitats, mammal species, and seasons. We hypothesize that such variability is common in nature and that failure to consider it may yield inaccurate findings and limit our understanding of interactions among co-occurring consumers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Taylor D. Ellis
- Department of BiologySonoma State UniversityRohnert ParkCalifornia
- Present address:
Point Reyes National SeashoreCalifornia
| | - J. Hall Cushman
- Department of Natural Resources and Environmental ScienceUniversity of NevadaRenoNevada
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Bergstrom BJ, Sensenig RL, Augustine DJ, Young TP. Searching for cover: soil enrichment and herbivore exclusion, not fire, enhance African savanna small‐mammal abundance. Ecosphere 2018. [DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.2519] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
| | - Ryan L. Sensenig
- Department of Biological Sciences Goshen College Goshen Indiana 46526 USA
| | - David J. Augustine
- Rangeland Resources Research Unit USDA–Agricultural Research Service Fort Collins Colorado 80526 USA
| | - Truman P. Young
- Department of Plant Sciences University of California Davis California 95616 USA
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Titcomb G, Pringle RM, Palmer TM, Young HS. What explains tick proliferation following large-herbivore exclusion? Proc Biol Sci 2018; 285:rspb.2018.0612. [PMID: 29769364 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2018.0612] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2018] [Accepted: 04/13/2018] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Georgia Titcomb
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Marine Biology, University of California, Santa Barbara, Goleta, CA, USA .,Mpala Research Centre, PO Box 555, Nanyuki, Kenya
| | - Robert M Pringle
- Mpala Research Centre, PO Box 555, Nanyuki, Kenya.,Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
| | - Todd M Palmer
- Mpala Research Centre, PO Box 555, Nanyuki, Kenya.,Department of Biology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA
| | - Hillary S Young
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Marine Biology, University of California, Santa Barbara, Goleta, CA, USA.,Mpala Research Centre, PO Box 555, Nanyuki, Kenya
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17
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Buck JC, Perkins SE. Study scale determines whether wildlife loss protects against or promotes tick-borne disease. Proc Biol Sci 2018; 285:rspb.2018.0218. [PMID: 29769359 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2018.0218] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2018] [Accepted: 03/05/2018] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- J C Buck
- Marine Science Institute, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA 93106, USA .,Department of Ecology, Evolution and Marine Biology, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA 93106, USA
| | - S E Perkins
- School of Biosciences, University of Cardiff, The Sir Martin Evans Building, Cardiff CF10 3AX, UK
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18
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Goheen JR, Augustine DJ, Veblen KE, Kimuyu DM, Palmer TM, Porensky LM, Pringle RM, Ratnam J, Riginos C, Sankaran M, Ford AT, Hassan AA, Jakopak R, Kartzinel TR, Kurukura S, Louthan AM, Odadi WO, Otieno TO, Wambua AM, Young HS, Young TP. Conservation lessons from large-mammal manipulations in East African savannas: the KLEE, UHURU, and GLADE experiments. Ann N Y Acad Sci 2018; 1429:31-49. [DOI: 10.1111/nyas.13848] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2017] [Revised: 04/03/2018] [Accepted: 04/06/2018] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Jacob R. Goheen
- Department of Zoology and Physiology; University of Wyoming; Laramie Wyoming
- Mpala Research Centre; Nanyuki Kenya
| | | | - Kari E. Veblen
- Department of Wildland Resources and Ecology Center; Utah State University; Logan Utah
| | - Duncan M. Kimuyu
- Department of Wildland Resources and Ecology Center; Utah State University; Logan Utah
- Mpala Research Centre; Nanyuki Kenya
| | - Todd M. Palmer
- Department of Biology; University of Florida; Gainesville Florida
- Mpala Research Centre; Nanyuki Kenya
| | | | - Robert M. Pringle
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology; Princeton University; Princeton New Jersey
- Mpala Research Centre; Nanyuki Kenya
| | | | | | - Mahesh Sankaran
- National Centre for Biological Sciences, TIFR; Bangalore India
- School of Biology, University of Leeds; Leeds United Kingdom
| | - Adam T. Ford
- Department of Biology; University of British Columbia; Kelowna British Columbia Canada
| | | | - Rhiannon Jakopak
- Department of Zoology and Physiology; University of Wyoming; Laramie Wyoming
| | - Tyler R. Kartzinel
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology; Brown University; Providence Rhode Island
| | | | | | - Wilfred O. Odadi
- Department of Natural Resources; Egerton University; Egerton Kenya
- Mpala Research Centre; Nanyuki Kenya
| | | | - Alois M. Wambua
- Department of Wildland Resources and Ecology Center; Utah State University; Logan Utah
- Mpala Research Centre; Nanyuki Kenya
| | - Hillary S. Young
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Marine Biology; University of California; Santa Barbara California
| | - Truman P. Young
- Department of Plant Sciences; University of California; Davis California
- Mpala Research Centre; Nanyuki Kenya
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19
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Affiliation(s)
- Ngawo Namukonde
- Department of Biology; Faculty of Mathematics, Informatics and Natural Sciences; University of Hamburg; Hamburg 20148 Germany
- Department of Zoology and Aquatic Sciences; School of Natural Resources; Copperbelt University; P.O. Box 21672 Kitwe Zambia
| | - Chuma Simukonda
- Department of National Parks and Wildlife; Ministry of Tourism and Art; P/Bag 1 Chilanga Zambia
| | - Jörg U. Ganzhorn
- Department of Biology; Faculty of Mathematics, Informatics and Natural Sciences; University of Hamburg; Hamburg 20148 Germany
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20
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Titcomb G, Allan BF, Ainsworth T, Henson L, Hedlund T, Pringle RM, Palmer TM, Njoroge L, Campana MG, Fleischer RC, Mantas JN, Young HS. Interacting effects of wildlife loss and climate on ticks and tick-borne disease. Proc Biol Sci 2018; 284:rspb.2017.0475. [PMID: 28878055 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2017.0475] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2017] [Accepted: 07/24/2017] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Both large-wildlife loss and climatic changes can independently influence the prevalence and distribution of zoonotic disease. Given growing evidence that wildlife loss often has stronger community-level effects in low-productivity areas, we hypothesized that these perturbations would have interactive effects on disease risk. We experimentally tested this hypothesis by measuring tick abundance and the prevalence of tick-borne pathogens (Coxiella burnetii and Rickettsia spp.) within long-term, size-selective, large-herbivore exclosures replicated across a precipitation gradient in East Africa. Total wildlife exclusion increased total tick abundance by 130% (mesic sites) to 225% (dry, low-productivity sites), demonstrating a significant interaction of defaunation and aridity on tick abundance. When differing degrees of exclusion were tested for a subset of months, total tick abundance increased from 170% (only mega-herbivores excluded) to 360% (all large wildlife excluded). Wildlife exclusion differentially affected the abundance of the three dominant tick species, and this effect varied strongly over time, likely due to differences among species in their host associations, seasonality, and other ecological characteristics. Pathogen prevalence did not differ across wildlife exclusion treatments, rainfall levels, or tick species, suggesting that exposure risk will respond to defaunation and climate change in proportion to total tick abundance. These findings demonstrate interacting effects of defaunation and aridity that increase disease risk, and they highlight the need to incorporate ecological context when predicting effects of wildlife loss on zoonotic disease dynamics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Georgia Titcomb
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Marine Biology, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA, USA .,Mpala Research Centre, Box 555, Nanyuki, Kenya
| | - Brian F Allan
- Mpala Research Centre, Box 555, Nanyuki, Kenya.,Department of Entomology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
| | - Tyler Ainsworth
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Marine Biology, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA, USA
| | - Lauren Henson
- Center for Conservation Genomics, Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, National Zoological Park, Washington, DC 20008, USA
| | - Tyler Hedlund
- Department of Entomology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
| | - Robert M Pringle
- Mpala Research Centre, Box 555, Nanyuki, Kenya.,Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
| | - Todd M Palmer
- Mpala Research Centre, Box 555, Nanyuki, Kenya.,Department of Biology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA
| | - Laban Njoroge
- Invertebrate Zoology Section, National Museums of Kenya, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Michael G Campana
- Center for Conservation Genomics, Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, National Zoological Park, Washington, DC 20008, USA
| | - Robert C Fleischer
- Center for Conservation Genomics, Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, National Zoological Park, Washington, DC 20008, USA
| | | | - Hillary S Young
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Marine Biology, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA, USA.,Mpala Research Centre, Box 555, Nanyuki, Kenya
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21
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Rivière-Cinnamond A, Santandreu A, Luján A, Mertens F, Espinoza JO, Carpio Y, Bravo J, Gabastou JM. Identifying the social and environmental determinants of plague endemicity in Peru: insights from a case study in Ascope, La Libertad. BMC Public Health 2018; 18:220. [PMID: 29409470 PMCID: PMC5801814 DOI: 10.1186/s12889-018-5062-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2017] [Accepted: 01/10/2018] [Indexed: 01/14/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Plague remains a public health problem in specific areas located in Bolivia, Brazil, Ecuador and Peru. Its prevention and control encompasses adequate clinical management and timely laboratory diagnosis. However, understanding communities' interaction with its surrounding ecosystem as well as the differences between community members and institutional stakeholders regarding the root causes of plague might contribute to understand its endemicity. We aim at bridging the traditionally separate biological and social sciences by elucidating communities' risk perception and identifying knowledge gaps between communities and stakeholders. This approach has been used in other areas but never in understanding plague endemicity, nor applied in the Latin American plague context. The objectives were to identify (i) plague risk perception at community level, (ii) perceived social and environmental determinants of plague endemicity, and (iii) institutions that need to be involved and actions needed to be taken as proposed by stakeholders and community members. The study was performed in 2015 and took place in Ascope rural province, La Libertad Region, in Peru, where the study areas are surrounded by intensive private sugarcane production. METHODS We propose using a multi-level discourse analysis. Community households were randomly selected (n = 68). Structured and semi-structured questionnaires were applied. A stakeholder analysis was used to identify policy makers (n = 34). In-depth interviews were performed, recorded and transcribed. Descriptive variables were analyzed with SPSS®. Answers were coded following variables adapted from the Commission on Social Determinants of Health and analyzed with the assistance of ATLAS.ti®. RESULTS Results showed that risk perception was low within the community. Policy-makers identified agriculture and sugarcane production as the root cause while community answers ranked the hygiene situation as the main cause. Stakeholders first ranked governmental sectors (education, housing, agriculture and transport) and the community prioritized the health sector. Social surveillance and improving prevention and control were first cited by policy-makers and community members, respectively. CONCLUSIONS The determinants of plague endemicity identified by the two groups differed. Similarly, actions and sectors needed to be involved in solving the problem varied. The gaps in understanding plague root causes between these two groups might hinder the efficiency of current plague prevention and control strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana Rivière-Cinnamond
- Pan-American Health Organization/World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO), PAHO Health Emergencies Department (PHE), Los Pinos 251, Camacho La Molina, 12 Lima, Peru
| | - Alain Santandreu
- Consorcio por la Salud, Ambiente y Desarrollo (ECOSAD), Lima, Peru
| | - Anita Luján
- Consorcio por la Salud, Ambiente y Desarrollo (ECOSAD), Lima, Peru
| | - Frederic Mertens
- Centro de Desenvolvimento Sustentável, Universidade de Brasília, Brasília, Brazil
| | | | - Yesenia Carpio
- Consorcio por la Salud, Ambiente y Desarrollo (ECOSAD), Lima, Peru
| | - Johnny Bravo
- Consorcio por la Salud, Ambiente y Desarrollo (ECOSAD), Lima, Peru
| | - Jean-Marc Gabastou
- Pan-American Health Organization/World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO), PAHO Health Emergencies Department (PHE), Los Pinos 251, Camacho La Molina, 12 Lima, Peru
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22
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Young HS, McCauley DJ, Dirzo R, Nunn CL, Campana MG, Agwanda B, Otarola-Castillo ER, Castillo ER, Pringle RM, Veblen KE, Salkeld DJ, Stewardson K, Fleischer R, Lambin EF, Palmer TM, Helgen KM. Interacting effects of land use and climate on rodent-borne pathogens in central Kenya. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2018; 372:rstb.2016.0116. [PMID: 28438909 PMCID: PMC5413868 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2016.0116] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [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] [Accepted: 11/13/2016] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Understanding the effects of anthropogenic disturbance on zoonotic disease risk is both a critical conservation objective and a public health priority. Here, we evaluate the effects of multiple forms of anthropogenic disturbance across a precipitation gradient on the abundance of pathogen-infected small mammal hosts in a multi-host, multi-pathogen system in central Kenya. Our results suggest that conversion to cropland and wildlife loss alone drive systematic increases in rodent-borne pathogen prevalence, but that pastoral conversion has no such systematic effects. The effects are most likely explained both by changes in total small mammal abundance, and by changes in relative abundance of a few high-competence species, although changes in vector assemblages may also be involved. Several pathogens responded to interactions between disturbance type and climatic conditions, suggesting the potential for synergistic effects of anthropogenic disturbance and climate change on the distribution of disease risk. Overall, these results indicate that conservation can be an effective tool for reducing abundance of rodent-borne pathogens in some contexts (e.g. wildlife loss alone); however, given the strong variation in effects across disturbance types, pathogen taxa and environmental conditions, the use of conservation as public health interventions will need to be carefully tailored to specific pathogens and human contexts. This article is part of the themed issue ‘Conservation, biodiversity and infectious disease: scientific evidence and policy implications’.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hillary S Young
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Marine Biology, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA 93106, USA .,Mpala Research Centre, Box 555, Nanyuki, Kenya
| | - Douglas J McCauley
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Marine Biology, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA 93106, USA.,Mpala Research Centre, Box 555, Nanyuki, Kenya
| | - Rodolfo Dirzo
- Department of Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Charles L Nunn
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA.,Duke Global Health Institute, Duke University, Durham, NC 27710, USA
| | - Michael G Campana
- Center for Conservation Genomics, Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, National Zoological Park, Washington, DC 20008, USA
| | | | | | - Eric R Castillo
- Department of Human Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
| | - Robert M Pringle
- Mpala Research Centre, Box 555, Nanyuki, Kenya.,Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
| | - Kari E Veblen
- Mpala Research Centre, Box 555, Nanyuki, Kenya.,Department of Wildland Resources and Ecology Center, Utah State University, Logan, UT 84322, USA
| | - Daniel J Salkeld
- Department of Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA
| | - Kristin Stewardson
- Center for Conservation Genomics, Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, National Zoological Park, Washington, DC 20008, USA
| | - Robert Fleischer
- Center for Conservation Genomics, Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, National Zoological Park, Washington, DC 20008, USA
| | - Eric F Lambin
- Department of Earth System Science and Woods Institute for the Environment, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Todd M Palmer
- Mpala Research Centre, Box 555, Nanyuki, Kenya.,Department of Biology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA
| | - Kristofer M Helgen
- Division of Mammals, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC, USA.,School of Biological Sciences, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia 5005, Australia
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23
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Rivière-Cinnamond A, Santandreu A, Gonzalvez G, Luján A, Noriega M, Espinoza Quiroz JO, Carpio Y, Gabastou JM. A qualitative socio-ecological characterization of the plague threat at Hermelinda Market, La Libertad, Peru. Rev Panam Salud Publica 2017; 41:e107. [PMID: 31384253 PMCID: PMC6645355 DOI: 10.26633/rpsp.2017.107] [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] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2016] [Accepted: 03/03/2017] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Objective To identify 1) the main determinants of persistent Yersinia pestis circulation and the associated threat of plague at Hermelinda Market—a large farmers’ market in the city of Trujillo, La Libertad, Peru—and the main actions taken against it, as perceived by local stakeholders; 2) the level of plague risk perception among local actors; and 3) recommended actions to solve the plague threat at the market. Methods. A conceptual framework was developed combining a social determinants approach with a complex systems-thinking framework and a knowledge management perspective. A four-step qualitative protocol was carried out (literature review; stakeholder mapping; 37 semi-structured interviews; and coding/analysis). In the fourth step, the data collected in the semi-structured interviews were coded for eight social determinants of health (SDH) variables and analyzed with ATLAS.ti®, and an emerging category analysis was performed to identify risk perception levels. Results. Based on analysis by SDH variable, the three main determinants of the plague threat at Hermelinda Market were: 1) local (Trujillo City) governance, 2) infrastructure and basic services, and 3) local culture. According to the same analysis, actions most frequently undertaken against plague involved 1) infrastructure and basic services, 2) social vigilance, and 3) communication. The emerging category analysis indicated local risk perception levels were low, with most of the data pointing to “unhygienic” (“naturalized”) lifestyles and a general lack of awareness about the disease prior to plague-related health concerns at the market as the cause. Conclusions. The results indicate that the persistent circulation of Yersinia pestis at Hermelinda Market is not simply a technical matter but more of a managerial and cultural problem. As local governance was found to be a main factor in the persistence of this public health threat, future efforts against it should focus on sustainable inter-sectoral planning and education. Actions taken exclusively by the health sector and the improvement of infrastructure and basic services alone will not be enough to reduce the threat of plague at the market.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana Rivière-Cinnamond
- Health Emergencies Department Pan American Health Organization Washington, D.C. United States of America Health Emergencies Department, Pan American Health Organization, Washington, D.C., United States of America
| | - Alain Santandreu
- Consorcio por la Salud Ambiente y Desarrollo Lima Peru Consorcio por la Salud, Ambiente y Desarrollo, Lima, Peru
| | - Guillermo Gonzalvez
- Communicable Diseases and Health Analysis Department Pan American Health Organization Washington Communicable Diseases and Health Analysis Department. Pan American Health Organization, Washington, D.C
| | - Anita Luján
- Consorcio por la Salud Ambiente y Desarrollo Lima Peru Consorcio por la Salud, Ambiente y Desarrollo, Lima, Peru
| | - Marilú Noriega
- Gerencia Regional en Salud-La Libertad Gerencia Regional en Salud-La Libertad Trujillo Peru Gerencia Regional en Salud-La Libertad, Trujillo, Peru
| | - John Omar Espinoza Quiroz
- Consorcio por la Salud Ambiente y Desarrollo Lima Peru Consorcio por la Salud, Ambiente y Desarrollo, Lima, Peru
| | - Yesenia Carpio
- Consorcio por la Salud Ambiente y Desarrollo Lima Peru Consorcio por la Salud, Ambiente y Desarrollo, Lima, Peru
| | - Jean-Marc Gabastou
- Health Emergencies Department Pan American Health Organization Washington, D.C. United States of America Health Emergencies Department, Pan American Health Organization, Washington, D.C., United States of America
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24
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Weinstein S, Titcomb G, Agwanda B, Riginos C, Young H. Parasite responses to large mammal loss in an African savanna. Ecology 2017; 98:1839-1848. [PMID: 28403506 DOI: 10.1002/ecy.1858] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2016] [Revised: 03/01/2017] [Accepted: 04/05/2017] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
Biodiversity loss can alter disease transmission; however, the magnitude and direction of these effects vary widely across ecosystems, scales, and pathogens. Here we experimentally examine the effects of one of the most globally pervasive patterns of biodiversity decline, the selective loss of large wildlife, on infection probability, intensity and population size of a group of common rodent-borne parasites - macroparasitic helminths. Consistent with previous work on vector-borne pathogens, we found that large wildlife removal causes strong and systematic increases of rodent-borne parasites, largely due to increases in rodent density, as rodents are released from competition with larger herbivores. Although we predicted that increased host density would also increase per capita infection among all directly transmitted parasites, this additional amplification occurred for only two of three examined parasites. Furthermore, the actual effects of large mammal loss on per capita infection were mediated by the complex suite of abiotic and biotic factors that regulate parasite transmission. Thus, while these results strongly suggest that large wildlife loss will cause systematic increases in rodent parasite populations, they also underscore the difficulty of making more specific predictions for a given parasite based on simple attributes such as transmission mode or life history strategy. Instead, detailed information on the ecology of each parasite species would be necessary to make more accurate predictions of how biodiversity loss will affect infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara Weinstein
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Marine Biology, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, California, USA
| | - Georgia Titcomb
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Marine Biology, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, California, USA.,Mpala Research Centre, Nanyuki, Kenya
| | - Bernard Agwanda
- Zoology Department, Mammalogy Section, National Museums Kenya, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Corinna Riginos
- Mpala Research Centre, Nanyuki, Kenya.,Department of Zoology and Physiology, University of Wyoming, Laramie, Wyoming, USA
| | - Hillary Young
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Marine Biology, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, California, USA.,Mpala Research Centre, Nanyuki, Kenya
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25
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Long RA, Wambua A, Goheen JR, Palmer TM, Pringle RM. Climatic variation modulates the indirect effects of large herbivores on small-mammal habitat use. J Anim Ecol 2017; 86:739-748. [PMID: 28342277 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.12669] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2016] [Accepted: 03/07/2017] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Large mammalian herbivores (LMH) strongly shape the composition and architecture of plant communities. A growing literature shows that negative direct effects of LMH on vegetation frequently propagate to suppress the abundance of smaller consumers. Indirect effects of LMH on the behaviour of these consumers, however, have received comparatively little attention despite their potential ecological significance. We sought to understand (i) how LMH indirectly shape small-mammal habitat use by altering the density and distribution of understorey plants; (ii) how these effects vary with climatic context (here, seasonality in rainfall); and (iii) the extent to which behavioural responses of small mammals are contingent upon small-mammal density. We tested the effects of a diverse LMH community on small-mammal habitat use using 4 years of spatially explicit small-mammal trapping and vegetation data from the UHURU Experiment, a replicated set of LMH exclosures in semi-arid Kenyan savanna. Small-mammal habitat use was positively associated with tree density and negatively associated with bare (unvegetated) patches in all plots and seasons. In the presence of LMH, and especially during the dry season, small mammals consistently selected tree cover and avoided bare patches. In contrast, when LMH were excluded, small mammals were weakly associated with tree cover and did not avoid bare patches as strongly. These behavioural responses of small mammals were largely unaffected by changes in small-mammal density associated with LMH exclusion. Our results show that LMH indirectly affect small-mammal behaviour, and that these effects are influenced by climate and can arise via density-independent mechanisms. This raises the possibility that anthropogenic LMH declines might interact with changing patterns of rainfall to alter small-mammal distribution and behaviour, independent of numerical responses by small mammals to these perturbations. For example, increased rainfall in East Africa (as predicted in many recent climate-model simulations) may relax constraints on small-mammal distribution where LMH are rare or absent, whereas increased aridity and/or drought frequency may tighten them.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryan A Long
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, 08544, USA
| | - Alois Wambua
- Mpala Research Centre, PO Box 555 Rumuruti Road, Nanyuki, Kenya
| | - Jacob R Goheen
- Mpala Research Centre, PO Box 555 Rumuruti Road, Nanyuki, Kenya.,Department of Zoology and Physiology, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY, 82071, USA
| | - Todd M Palmer
- Mpala Research Centre, PO Box 555 Rumuruti Road, Nanyuki, Kenya.,Department of Biology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, 32611, USA
| | - Robert M Pringle
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, 08544, USA.,Mpala Research Centre, PO Box 555 Rumuruti Road, Nanyuki, Kenya
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26
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Pringle RM, Prior KM, Palmer TM, Young TP, Goheen JR. Large herbivores promote habitat specialization and beta diversity of African savanna trees. Ecology 2016; 97:2640-2657. [DOI: 10.1002/ecy.1522] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2016] [Revised: 06/16/2016] [Accepted: 06/22/2016] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Robert M. Pringle
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Princeton University Princeton New Jersey 08544 USA
- Mpala Research Centre P.O. Box 555 Nanyuki 10400 Kenya
| | - Kirsten M. Prior
- Mpala Research Centre P.O. Box 555 Nanyuki 10400 Kenya
- Department of Biology University of Florida Gainesville Florida 32611 USA
- Department of Biological Sciences Binghamton University State University of New York Binghamton, New York 13920 USA
| | - Todd M. Palmer
- Mpala Research Centre P.O. Box 555 Nanyuki 10400 Kenya
- Department of Biology University of Florida Gainesville Florida 32611 USA
| | - Truman P. Young
- Mpala Research Centre P.O. Box 555 Nanyuki 10400 Kenya
- Department of Plant Sciences University of California Davis California 95616 USA
| | - Jacob R. Goheen
- Mpala Research Centre P.O. Box 555 Nanyuki 10400 Kenya
- Department of Zoology and Physiology University of Wyoming Laramie Wyoming 82070 USA
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27
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Ripple WJ, Abernethy K, Betts MG, Chapron G, Dirzo R, Galetti M, Levi T, Lindsey PA, Macdonald DW, Machovina B, Newsome TM, Peres CA, Wallach AD, Wolf C, Young H. Bushmeat hunting and extinction risk to the world's mammals. R Soc Open Sci 2016; 3:160498. [PMID: 27853564 PMCID: PMC5098989 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.160498] [Citation(s) in RCA: 196] [Impact Index Per Article: 24.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2016] [Accepted: 09/20/2016] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
Terrestrial mammals are experiencing a massive collapse in their population sizes and geographical ranges around the world, but many of the drivers, patterns and consequences of this decline remain poorly understood. Here we provide an analysis showing that bushmeat hunting for mostly food and medicinal products is driving a global crisis whereby 301 terrestrial mammal species are threatened with extinction. Nearly all of these threatened species occur in developing countries where major coexisting threats include deforestation, agricultural expansion, human encroachment and competition with livestock. The unrelenting decline of mammals suggests many vital ecological and socio-economic services that these species provide will be lost, potentially changing ecosystems irrevocably. We discuss options and current obstacles to achieving effective conservation, alongside consequences of failure to stem such anthropogenic mammalian extirpation. We propose a multi-pronged conservation strategy to help save threatened mammals from immediate extinction and avoid a collapse of food security for hundreds of millions of people.
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Affiliation(s)
- William J. Ripple
- GlobalTrophic Cascades Program, Department of Forest Ecosystems and Society, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331, USA
- Forest Biodiversity Research Network, Department of Forest Ecosystems and Society, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331, USA
| | - Katharine Abernethy
- School of Natural Sciences, University of Stirling, Stirling FK9 4LA, UK
- Institut de Recherche en Ecologie Tropicale, CENAREST, BP 842 Libreville, Gabon
| | - Matthew G. Betts
- GlobalTrophic Cascades Program, Department of Forest Ecosystems and Society, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331, USA
- Forest Biodiversity Research Network, Department of Forest Ecosystems and Society, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331, USA
| | - Guillaume Chapron
- Grimsö Wildlife Research Station, Department of Ecology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, 73091 Riddarhyttan, Sweden
| | - Rodolfo Dirzo
- Department of Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Mauro Galetti
- Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP), Instituto Biociências, Departamento de Ecologia, 13506-900 Rio Claro, São Paulo, Brazil
- Department of Bioscience, Ecoinformatics and Biodiversity, Aarhus University, 8000 Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Taal Levi
- GlobalTrophic Cascades Program, Department of Forest Ecosystems and Society, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331, USA
- Forest Biodiversity Research Network, Department of Forest Ecosystems and Society, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331, USA
- Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331, USA
| | - Peter A. Lindsey
- Panthera, 8 West 40th Street, 18th Floor, New York, NY 10018, USA
- Mammal Research Institute, Department of Zoology and Entomology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, Gauteng, South Africa
| | - David W. Macdonald
- Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, The Recanati-Kaplan Centre, Tubney House, Tubney, Abingdon OX13 5QL, UK
| | - Brian Machovina
- Department of Biological Sciences, Florida International University, Miami, FL 33199, USA
| | - Thomas M. Newsome
- GlobalTrophic Cascades Program, Department of Forest Ecosystems and Society, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331, USA
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Centre for Integrative Ecology, Deakin University, Burwood campus, Geelong, Victoria 3125, Australia
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, The University of Sydney, New South Wales 2006, Australia
- School of Environmental and Forest Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Carlos A. Peres
- School of Environmental Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich NR4 7TJ, UK
| | - Arian D. Wallach
- Centre for Compassionate Conservation, School of Life Sciences, University of Technology Sydney, PO Box 123 Broadway, New South Wales 2007, Australia
| | - Christopher Wolf
- GlobalTrophic Cascades Program, Department of Forest Ecosystems and Society, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331, USA
- Forest Biodiversity Research Network, Department of Forest Ecosystems and Society, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331, USA
| | - Hillary Young
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA 93106, USA
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Campana MG, Hawkins MTR, Henson LH, Stewardson K, Young HS, Card LR, Lock J, Agwanda B, Brinkerhoff J, Gaff HD, Helgen KM, Maldonado JE, McShea WJ, Fleischer RC. Simultaneous identification of host, ectoparasite and pathogen DNA via in-solution capture. Mol Ecol Resour 2016; 16:1224-39. [DOI: 10.1111/1755-0998.12524] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2015] [Revised: 01/08/2016] [Accepted: 01/19/2016] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Michael G. Campana
- Center for Conservation and Evolutionary Genetics; Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute; 3001 Connecticut Avenue NW Washington DC 20008 USA
| | - Melissa T. R. Hawkins
- Center for Conservation and Evolutionary Genetics; Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute; 3001 Connecticut Avenue NW Washington DC 20008 USA
- Division of Mammals; National Museum of Natural History; Smithsonian Institution; MRC 108, P.O. Box 37012 Washington DC 20013-7012 USA
| | - Lauren H. Henson
- Center for Conservation and Evolutionary Genetics; Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute; 3001 Connecticut Avenue NW Washington DC 20008 USA
| | - Kristin Stewardson
- Center for Conservation and Evolutionary Genetics; Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute; 3001 Connecticut Avenue NW Washington DC 20008 USA
| | - Hillary S. Young
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Marine Biology; University of California Santa Barbara; Santa Barbara CA 93106 USA
| | - Leah R. Card
- Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute; National Zoological Park; 1500 Remount Rd. Front Royal VA 22630 USA
| | - Justin Lock
- Center for Conservation and Evolutionary Genetics; Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute; 3001 Connecticut Avenue NW Washington DC 20008 USA
| | | | - Jory Brinkerhoff
- Department of Biology; B322 Gottwald Center for the Sciences; University of Richmond; 28 Westhampton Way Richmond VA 23173 USA
| | - Holly D. Gaff
- Department of Biological Sciences; Old Dominion University; Norfolk VA 23529 USA
| | - Kristofer M. Helgen
- Division of Mammals; National Museum of Natural History; Smithsonian Institution; MRC 108, P.O. Box 37012 Washington DC 20013-7012 USA
| | - Jesús E. Maldonado
- Center for Conservation and Evolutionary Genetics; Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute; 3001 Connecticut Avenue NW Washington DC 20008 USA
- Division of Mammals; National Museum of Natural History; Smithsonian Institution; MRC 108, P.O. Box 37012 Washington DC 20013-7012 USA
| | - William J. McShea
- Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute; National Zoological Park; 1500 Remount Rd. Front Royal VA 22630 USA
| | - Robert C. Fleischer
- Center for Conservation and Evolutionary Genetics; Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute; 3001 Connecticut Avenue NW Washington DC 20008 USA
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Young HS, Dirzo R, Helgen KM, McCauley DJ, Nunn CL, Snyder P, Veblen KE, Zhao S, Ezenwa VO. Large wildlife removal drives immune defence increases in rodents. Funct Ecol 2015. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.12542] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Hillary S. Young
- University of California Santa Barbara Santa Barbara California 93106 USA
- Division of Mammals National Museum of Natural History Smithsonian Institution Washington District of Columbia 20013 USA
- Mpala Research Centre Box 555 Nanyuki Kenya
| | - Rodolfo Dirzo
- Department of Biology Stanford University Stanford California 94305 USA
| | - Kristofer M. Helgen
- Division of Mammals National Museum of Natural History Smithsonian Institution Washington District of Columbia 20013 USA
| | - Douglas J. McCauley
- University of California Santa Barbara Santa Barbara California 93106 USA
- Mpala Research Centre Box 555 Nanyuki Kenya
| | - Charles L. Nunn
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology Duke University Durham North Carolina 27708 USA
- Duke Global Health Institute Duke University Durham North Carolina 27708 USA
| | - Paul Snyder
- Odum School of Ecology and Department of Infectious Diseases College of Veterinary Medicine University of Georgia Athens Georgia 30602 USA
- Department of Integrative Biology Oregon State University Corvallis Oregon 97331 USA
| | - Kari E. Veblen
- Mpala Research Centre Box 555 Nanyuki Kenya
- Department of Wildland Resources and Ecology Center Utah State University Logan Utah 84322 USA
| | - Serena Zhao
- Division of Mammals National Museum of Natural History Smithsonian Institution Washington District of Columbia 20013 USA
- Mpala Research Centre Box 555 Nanyuki Kenya
| | - Vanessa O. Ezenwa
- Mpala Research Centre Box 555 Nanyuki Kenya
- Odum School of Ecology and Department of Infectious Diseases College of Veterinary Medicine University of Georgia Athens Georgia 30602 USA
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McCauley DJ, Salkeld DJ, Young HS, Makundi R, Dirzo R, Eckerlin RP, Lambin EF, Gaffikin L, Barry M, Helgen KM. Effects of land use on plague (Yersinia pestis) activity in rodents in Tanzania. Am J Trop Med Hyg 2015; 92:776-83. [PMID: 25711606 PMCID: PMC4385772 DOI: 10.4269/ajtmh.14-0504] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2014] [Accepted: 01/14/2015] [Indexed: 01/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Understanding the effects of land-use change on zoonotic disease risk is a pressing global health concern. Here, we compare prevalence of Yersinia pestis, the etiologic agent of plague, in rodents across two land-use types-agricultural and conserved-in northern Tanzania. Estimated abundance of seropositive rodents nearly doubled in agricultural sites compared with conserved sites. This relationship between land-use type and abundance of seropositive rodents is likely mediated by changes in rodent and flea community composition, particularly via an increase in the abundance of the commensal species, Mastomys natalensis, in agricultural habitats. There was mixed support for rodent species diversity negatively impacting Y. pestis seroprevalence. Together, these results suggest that land-use change could affect the risk of local transmission of plague, and raise critical questions about transmission dynamics at the interface of conserved and agricultural habitats. These findings emphasize the importance of understanding disease ecology in the context of rapidly proceeding landscape change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Douglas J McCauley
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Marine Biology, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, California; Woods Institute for the Environment, Department of Biology, Department of Environmental Earth System Science, and Department of Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, California; Department of Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado; Division of Mammals, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, District of Columbia; Department of Biology, Northern Virginia Community College, Springfield, Virginia; Sokoine University of Agriculture, Morogoro, Tanzania
| | - Daniel J Salkeld
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Marine Biology, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, California; Woods Institute for the Environment, Department of Biology, Department of Environmental Earth System Science, and Department of Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, California; Department of Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado; Division of Mammals, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, District of Columbia; Department of Biology, Northern Virginia Community College, Springfield, Virginia; Sokoine University of Agriculture, Morogoro, Tanzania
| | - Hillary S Young
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Marine Biology, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, California; Woods Institute for the Environment, Department of Biology, Department of Environmental Earth System Science, and Department of Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, California; Department of Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado; Division of Mammals, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, District of Columbia; Department of Biology, Northern Virginia Community College, Springfield, Virginia; Sokoine University of Agriculture, Morogoro, Tanzania
| | - Rhodes Makundi
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Marine Biology, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, California; Woods Institute for the Environment, Department of Biology, Department of Environmental Earth System Science, and Department of Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, California; Department of Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado; Division of Mammals, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, District of Columbia; Department of Biology, Northern Virginia Community College, Springfield, Virginia; Sokoine University of Agriculture, Morogoro, Tanzania
| | - Rodolfo Dirzo
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Marine Biology, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, California; Woods Institute for the Environment, Department of Biology, Department of Environmental Earth System Science, and Department of Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, California; Department of Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado; Division of Mammals, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, District of Columbia; Department of Biology, Northern Virginia Community College, Springfield, Virginia; Sokoine University of Agriculture, Morogoro, Tanzania
| | - Ralph P Eckerlin
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Marine Biology, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, California; Woods Institute for the Environment, Department of Biology, Department of Environmental Earth System Science, and Department of Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, California; Department of Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado; Division of Mammals, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, District of Columbia; Department of Biology, Northern Virginia Community College, Springfield, Virginia; Sokoine University of Agriculture, Morogoro, Tanzania
| | - Eric F Lambin
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Marine Biology, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, California; Woods Institute for the Environment, Department of Biology, Department of Environmental Earth System Science, and Department of Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, California; Department of Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado; Division of Mammals, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, District of Columbia; Department of Biology, Northern Virginia Community College, Springfield, Virginia; Sokoine University of Agriculture, Morogoro, Tanzania
| | - Lynne Gaffikin
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Marine Biology, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, California; Woods Institute for the Environment, Department of Biology, Department of Environmental Earth System Science, and Department of Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, California; Department of Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado; Division of Mammals, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, District of Columbia; Department of Biology, Northern Virginia Community College, Springfield, Virginia; Sokoine University of Agriculture, Morogoro, Tanzania
| | - Michele Barry
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Marine Biology, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, California; Woods Institute for the Environment, Department of Biology, Department of Environmental Earth System Science, and Department of Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, California; Department of Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado; Division of Mammals, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, District of Columbia; Department of Biology, Northern Virginia Community College, Springfield, Virginia; Sokoine University of Agriculture, Morogoro, Tanzania
| | - Kristofer M Helgen
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Marine Biology, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, California; Woods Institute for the Environment, Department of Biology, Department of Environmental Earth System Science, and Department of Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, California; Department of Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado; Division of Mammals, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, District of Columbia; Department of Biology, Northern Virginia Community College, Springfield, Virginia; Sokoine University of Agriculture, Morogoro, Tanzania
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Young HS, Dirzo R, McCauley DJ, Agwanda B, Cattaneo L, Dittmar K, Eckerlin RP, Fleischer RC, Helgen LE, Hintz A, Montinieri J, Zhao S, Helgen KM. Drivers of Intensity and Prevalence of Flea Parasitism on Small Mammals in East African Savanna Ecosystems. J Parasitol 2015; 101:327-35. [PMID: 25634599 DOI: 10.1645/14-684.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
The relative importance of environmental factors and host factors in explaining variation in prevalence and intensity of flea parasitism in small mammal communities is poorly established. We examined these relationships in an East African savanna landscape, considering multiple host levels: across individuals within a local population, across populations within species, and across species within a landscape. We sampled fleas from 2,672 small mammals of 27 species. This included a total of 8,283 fleas, with 5 genera and 12 species identified. Across individual hosts within a site, both rodent body mass and season affected total intensity of flea infestation, although the explanatory power of these factors was generally modest (<10%). Across host populations in the landscape, we found consistently positive effects of host density and negative effects of vegetation cover on the intensity of flea infestation. Other factors explored (host diversity, annual rainfall, anthropogenic disturbance, and soil properties) tended to have lower and less consistent explanatory power. Across host species in the landscape, we found that host body mass was strongly positively correlated with both prevalence and intensity of flea parasitism, while average robustness of a host species to disturbance was not correlated with flea parasitism. Cumulatively, these results provide insight into the intricate roles of both host and environmental factors in explaining complex patterns of flea parasitism across landscape mosaics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hillary S Young
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Marine Biology, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, California 93106
| | | | - Douglas J McCauley
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Marine Biology, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, California 93106
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