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Spatial dynamics of mammals and their pathogens and parasites
Maher, Sean Patrick
Maher, Sean Patrick
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Abstract
In this dissertation, I explore several aspects of the ecological dynamics of mammals and their pathogens and parasites. I approach this broad topic at various scales, using Ecological Niche Models, field surveys, and theoretical simulations. I focus on two pathogens, hantavirus and plague (Yersinia pestis), and a group of parasites, fleas, and address their spatial and ecological relationships. Each of the four chapters presents a set of questions and tests hypotheses regarding the distribution of these taxa. I begin by demonstrating that plague-infected host distributions are not similar to the non-infected host distributions, suggesting that vector ecology may drive the distribution of plague in the western United States. I then show that hantavirus prevalence and flea communities are not mediated by mammalian communities across a contiguous landscape, and flea communities differ with increasing elevation. Finally, I show that re-appearance of hantavirus after a decline in host populations likely is not driven by metapopulation dynamics.
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Date
2010-04-27
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Publisher
University of Kansas
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Keywords
Biology, Ecology, Parasitology, Macroecology, Elevation, Hantavirus, Niche modeling, Plague, Simulation, Small mammals