Variation in herbivore space use: comparing two savanna ecosystems with different anthrax outbreak patterns in southern Africa.

ABSTRACT:

Background

The distribution of resources can affect animal range sizes, which in turn may alter infectious disease dynamics in heterogenous environments. The risk of pathogen exposure or the spatial extent of outbreaks may vary with host range size. This study examined the range sizes of herbivorous anthrax host species in two ecosystems and relationships between spatial movement behavior and patterns of disease outbreaks for a multi-host environmentally transmitted pathogen.

Methods

We examined range sizes for seven host species and the spatial extent of anthrax outbreaks in Etosha National Park, Namibia and Kruger National Park, South Africa, where the main host species and outbreak sizes differ. We evaluated host range sizes using the local convex hull method at different

SUBMITTER: Huang YH 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10392021 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature