Examination of the interaction between age-specific predation and chronic disease in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem.

ABSTRACT: Predators may create healthier prey populations by selectively removing diseased individuals. Predators typically prefer some ages of prey over others, which may, or may not, align with those prey ages that are most likely to be diseased. The interaction of age-specific infection and predation has not been previously explored and likely has sizable effects on disease dynamics. We hypothesize that predator cleansing effects will be greater when the disease and predation occur in the same prey age groups. We examine the predator cleansing effect using a model where both vulnerability to predators and pathogen prevalence vary with age. We tailor this model to chronic wasting disease (CWD) in mule deer and elk populations in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, with empirical data from Yellowsto

SUBMITTER: Brandell EE 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9912199 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature