practical community ecology complex networks of interactions
TRANSCRIPT
Practical community ecology
◆ Complex networks of interactions◆ Practical consequences
– Agriculture
– Fisheries
– Forestry
– Human health
Lyme disease
◆ Reading– Ostfeld, R.S. 1997. Ecology of lyme-disease
risk. American Scientist 85:338-346– Jones, C. G. et al. 1998. Chain reactions linking
acorns to gypsy moth outbreaks and Lyme disease risk. Science 279:1023-1026
◆ available on Ecology course web page
Lyme disease◆ Disease symptoms
– red rash; bulls eye shape
– fever, chills, muscle aches
– untreated: arthritis, neurological disorders
◆ First identified in Europe 1909◆ Cause: Borrelia burgdorferi
– spirochaete
– idenitified in 1982
A common disease◆ 1990-1999
– 122,651 cases– Connecticut:
mean 63 cases per 100,000
◆ Reported in 48 states
◆ Most common vector borne disease in US
Lyme disease transmission
◆ Vector borne◆ Ticks◆ Northeast: Black legged
tick– Ixodes scapularis
◆ Transmitted by bites while taking bloodmeals
Tick life
cycle
Deer, rodents,
birds, canids,humans
Spring
SummerAutumn
Winter
eggs
Rodents, birds, small
mammals
Deer, canids,humans
Reservoir host
◆ Ticks become infected mainly as larvae◆ Acquire spirochaete from Peromyscus leucopus◆ Enzootic disease: cycles between mouse and
tick
Transmission to humans
◆ Both adults and nymphs can transmit spirochaete to people
◆ Nymphs believed to be greatest threat◆ Epidemic disease: outbreak in humans◆ Principal risk factor: Number of infected
nymphs in areas frequented by people in early summer
Epidemic disease
◆ Lots of infected nymphs, adults– High Tick population
– High infection rate
◆ Lots of human contact– Human-tick spatial and temporal overlap
Tick populations
◆ High tick populations associated with abundant acorns
◆ Oaks– boom / bust cycle of acorn production– Mast years
◆ Deer – eat twigs and leaves from woody plants– Mast years, eat acorns– Mast year, deer concentrated in oak woods
Deer and Ticks◆ Concentration of
deer in oak woods◆ Adult ticks in oak
woods◆ Lots of tick eggs in
oak woods◆ Following summer:
lots of tick larvae in oak woods
Experiment
◆ 1995– Acorn crop failure– 3 experimental grids (2.25 ha each)– added >800,000 acorns (>3500 kg)– 3 control grids
◆ 1996– monitor mouse density, breeding, ticks/mouse– monitor tick density
Experimental Results(Jones et al. 1998. Science)
◆ Addition grids:– Mouse densities 7x greater
– Winter: more mice in breeding condition
ExperimentalResults
(Jones et al. 1998. Science)
◆ Addition grids:– Tick abundance
8x greater
– Ticks / mouse 40% greater
High populations of infected ticks
Deer
Mice+
+
Tickegg-laying
Tick Larvae Infected
tick nymphs, adults
+
+
+
Acorns
Predicting Lyme disease risk
◆ Two years after oak masting, expect greatest risk in oak forest
◆ Test will require long-term data – several mast years
– monitor ticks, diseases incidence
◆ Where is risk in non-mast years?
Abundance of larval ticks
End 11th Lecture
Essay (20 pts)Mean = 15.0 (74.8%)SD = 2.1 (10.5%)
Overall (100 pts)Mean = 72.8 (72.8%)SD = 10.7 (10.7%)
Multiple choice (80 pts)Mean = 57.9 (72.3%)SD = 9.4 (11.8%)
Fixed Quota Harvest@1/2 MSY
NK
Rec
ruitm
ent
(# o
f in
div.
)
H
Nmed NN
MSY
Fixed Effort Harvest@ MSY
with sonar
NK
Rec
ruitm
ent
(# o
f in
div.
)
H
N
Fixed Effort Harvest
◆ H = g E N– H = harvest– g = efficiency (take per unit effort)– E = effort (e.g., trawler-days)– N = population
◆ If g is constant, H is linearly related to N, with slope dependent on E (But sonar changes g)
◆ With sonar, g is greater, so to maintain H at MSY, you need to reduce E
Answers
◆ Glass case on 3rd floor Felmley Annex◆ Figure out what you did wrong◆ Questions? … see me
Lyme disease infection
◆ Experimental manipulation of acorns– showed abundance of ticks increases after
acorn addition– Risk factor = abundance of infected ticks– data?
Longer time scale
◆ 1995 to 2000◆ Acorn crop in year t-2◆ Abundance of mice in year t-1◆ Nymphal ticks in year t
– density of nymphs– nymphal infection prevalence
❖ proportion infected
– density of infected nymphs
Effects of mice 1995 - 2000
Significant
Significant
Significant
Effects of acorns1995 - 2000
Significant
Significant
Not Significant
Acorn effects
◆ Combination of experiment and observation◆ Mast years of acorns determine human risk
of Lyme disease◆ Community interactions in this case impact
human health
Forest Fragmentation◆ Alters habitat
– shrubby species– edge
◆ Mammals– reduces diversity of
mammals– eliminates some species– increases abundance of
certain species
Peromyscus leucopus
◆ abundance increases in small patches◆ other mammal species decline in small patches◆ number of mammal species declines in small patches◆ effects on nymphal ticks and Lyme disease?◆ sample patches of different area for tick populations
Ticks vs. fragment
area
Significant
Significant
Significant
Conclusion
◆ Small fragments = Greater risk of Lyme disease
◆ Human alteration of landscape alters community and affects human health
◆ Fragmentation often a result of development – building homes– human exposure
◆ Mechanism?
Possible mechanism #1Competition and predation
Small fragment
P. leucopus
Other mammals
Infected Tick nymphs
+
-
-
Large fragment
P. leucopus
Other mammals
Infected Tick nymphs
+
+
-
Possible mechanism #2Dilution effect
Large fragment
P. leucopus
Other mammals
Infected Tick nymphs
+
+
-
Uninfected Tick nymphs
+
Small fragment
P. leucopus Other mammals
Infected Tick nymphs
+
-
Uninfected Tick nymphs
+
+
End 12th Lecture