Enzootic maintenance of sylvatic plague in Canada's threatened black‐tailed prairie dog ecosystem
Abstract Data paucity can seem to hinder science‐based approaches to the conservation of imperiled species. Yet, even individually limited datasets can improve understanding and management of complex ecological systems when carefully integrated. We demonstrate this approach to gain first insights on...
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Wiley
2020-05-01
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Series: | Ecosphere |
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Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1002/ecs2.3138 |
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Article |
collection |
DOAJ |
language |
English |
format |
Article |
sources |
DOAJ |
author |
Stefano Liccioli Tara Stephens Sian C. Wilson Jana M. McPherson Laura M. Keating Kym S. Antonation Trent K. Bollinger Cindi R. Corbett David L. Gummer L. Robbin Lindsay Terry D. Galloway Todd K. Shury Axel Moehrenschlager |
spellingShingle |
Stefano Liccioli Tara Stephens Sian C. Wilson Jana M. McPherson Laura M. Keating Kym S. Antonation Trent K. Bollinger Cindi R. Corbett David L. Gummer L. Robbin Lindsay Terry D. Galloway Todd K. Shury Axel Moehrenschlager Enzootic maintenance of sylvatic plague in Canada's threatened black‐tailed prairie dog ecosystem Ecosphere burrow swabbing Canada climate change Cynomys ludovicianus Grasslands National Park health |
author_facet |
Stefano Liccioli Tara Stephens Sian C. Wilson Jana M. McPherson Laura M. Keating Kym S. Antonation Trent K. Bollinger Cindi R. Corbett David L. Gummer L. Robbin Lindsay Terry D. Galloway Todd K. Shury Axel Moehrenschlager |
author_sort |
Stefano Liccioli |
title |
Enzootic maintenance of sylvatic plague in Canada's threatened black‐tailed prairie dog ecosystem |
title_short |
Enzootic maintenance of sylvatic plague in Canada's threatened black‐tailed prairie dog ecosystem |
title_full |
Enzootic maintenance of sylvatic plague in Canada's threatened black‐tailed prairie dog ecosystem |
title_fullStr |
Enzootic maintenance of sylvatic plague in Canada's threatened black‐tailed prairie dog ecosystem |
title_full_unstemmed |
Enzootic maintenance of sylvatic plague in Canada's threatened black‐tailed prairie dog ecosystem |
title_sort |
enzootic maintenance of sylvatic plague in canada's threatened black‐tailed prairie dog ecosystem |
publisher |
Wiley |
series |
Ecosphere |
issn |
2150-8925 |
publishDate |
2020-05-01 |
description |
Abstract Data paucity can seem to hinder science‐based approaches to the conservation of imperiled species. Yet, even individually limited datasets can improve understanding and management of complex ecological systems when carefully integrated. We demonstrate this approach to gain first insights on the transmission ecology of Yersinia pestis in Grasslands National Park (GNP), Canada, where both the bacterium and its rodent host, the nationally threatened black‐tailed prairie dog (BTPD, Cynomys ludovicianus), reach the northern limit of their distribution in North America. Primarily flea‐borne, Y. pestis causes sylvatic plague, a disease of exceptional relevance to both human health and wildlife conservation. We integrated data collected independently by multiple organizations in 2010–2017 across 17 BTPD colonies, where the species co‐occur with Richardson's ground squirrels (RGS, Urocitellus richardsonii). Available data included estimates of BTPD density and occupancy from visual counts and colony mapping; information on flea distribution, abundance, and prevalence of infection with Y. pestis from burrow swabbing, animal combing, and PCR assays; and the response of these variables to deltamethrin application on BTPD colony sections. Our analyses suggest that sylvatic plague in GNP is maintained at an enzootic level (i.e., chronic presence affecting a low proportion of individuals) with no evidence of widespread mortality, at least partially due to reduced flea activity after spring (percentage of prevalence in burrows: April–May = 11.69–33.89%; June–September: 1.75–3.19%), low prevalence of Y. pestis in flea samples (95% CI = 0.42–2.27%), and relatively low BTPD densities. Nonetheless, reducing flea prevalence through insecticide application had a positive effect on BTPD abundance, suggesting that enzootic plague is causing chronic mortality. Because flea prevalence on hosts was higher following drier years and higher on RGS than on BTPD (26.69% vs. 3.27%), insecticide application may be particularly important during dry periods and may need to take RGS and their movements into consideration. Differences between flea communities sampled by burrow swabbing and host combing suggest that plague surveillance should integrate both methods. Effects of projected climate change on vector life cycles, flea community composition, and host–parasite interactions warrant continued monitoring and an adaptive approach to species recovery actions and plague mitigation measures. |
topic |
burrow swabbing Canada climate change Cynomys ludovicianus Grasslands National Park health |
url |
https://doi.org/10.1002/ecs2.3138 |
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doaj-cd3e2302e3b2461db78f820c1dddb6bf2020-11-25T02:52:33ZengWileyEcosphere2150-89252020-05-01115n/an/a10.1002/ecs2.3138Enzootic maintenance of sylvatic plague in Canada's threatened black‐tailed prairie dog ecosystemStefano Liccioli0Tara Stephens1Sian C. Wilson2Jana M. McPherson3Laura M. Keating4Kym S. Antonation5Trent K. Bollinger6Cindi R. Corbett7David L. Gummer8L. Robbin Lindsay9Terry D. Galloway10Todd K. Shury11Axel Moehrenschlager12Grasslands National Park Parks Canada Agency P.O. Box 150 Val Marie Saskatchewan S0N2T0 CanadaCentre for Conservation Research Calgary Zoological Society 1300 Zoo Road N.E. Calgary Alberta T2E 7V6 CanadaCentre for Conservation Research Calgary Zoological Society 1300 Zoo Road N.E. Calgary Alberta T2E 7V6 CanadaCentre for Conservation Research Calgary Zoological Society 1300 Zoo Road N.E. Calgary Alberta T2E 7V6 CanadaCentre for Conservation Research Calgary Zoological Society 1300 Zoo Road N.E. Calgary Alberta T2E 7V6 CanadaBioforensics Assay Development and Diagnostics National Microbiology Laboratory Public Health Agency of Canada 1015 Arlington Street Winnipeg Manitoba R3E 3R2 CanadaDepartment of Veterinary Pathology Canadian Wildlife Health Cooperative 52 Campus Drive Saskatoon Saskatchewan S7N 5B4 CanadaBioforensics Assay Development and Diagnostics National Microbiology Laboratory Public Health Agency of Canada 1015 Arlington Street Winnipeg Manitoba R3E 3R2 CanadaNatural Resource Management Branch Parks Canada Agency 720 – 220 4 Avenue SE Calgary Alberta T2G 4X3 CanadaZoonotic Diseases and Special Pathogens National Microbiology Laboratory Public Health Agency of Canada 1015 Arlington Street Winnipeg Manitoba R3E 3R2 CanadaDepartment of Entomology Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences University of Manitoba 12 Dafoe Road Winnipeg Manitoba R3T 2N2 CanadaParks Canada Agency 52 Campus Drive Saskatoon Saskatchewan S7N 5B4 CanadaCentre for Conservation Research Calgary Zoological Society 1300 Zoo Road N.E. Calgary Alberta T2E 7V6 CanadaAbstract Data paucity can seem to hinder science‐based approaches to the conservation of imperiled species. Yet, even individually limited datasets can improve understanding and management of complex ecological systems when carefully integrated. We demonstrate this approach to gain first insights on the transmission ecology of Yersinia pestis in Grasslands National Park (GNP), Canada, where both the bacterium and its rodent host, the nationally threatened black‐tailed prairie dog (BTPD, Cynomys ludovicianus), reach the northern limit of their distribution in North America. Primarily flea‐borne, Y. pestis causes sylvatic plague, a disease of exceptional relevance to both human health and wildlife conservation. We integrated data collected independently by multiple organizations in 2010–2017 across 17 BTPD colonies, where the species co‐occur with Richardson's ground squirrels (RGS, Urocitellus richardsonii). Available data included estimates of BTPD density and occupancy from visual counts and colony mapping; information on flea distribution, abundance, and prevalence of infection with Y. pestis from burrow swabbing, animal combing, and PCR assays; and the response of these variables to deltamethrin application on BTPD colony sections. Our analyses suggest that sylvatic plague in GNP is maintained at an enzootic level (i.e., chronic presence affecting a low proportion of individuals) with no evidence of widespread mortality, at least partially due to reduced flea activity after spring (percentage of prevalence in burrows: April–May = 11.69–33.89%; June–September: 1.75–3.19%), low prevalence of Y. pestis in flea samples (95% CI = 0.42–2.27%), and relatively low BTPD densities. Nonetheless, reducing flea prevalence through insecticide application had a positive effect on BTPD abundance, suggesting that enzootic plague is causing chronic mortality. Because flea prevalence on hosts was higher following drier years and higher on RGS than on BTPD (26.69% vs. 3.27%), insecticide application may be particularly important during dry periods and may need to take RGS and their movements into consideration. Differences between flea communities sampled by burrow swabbing and host combing suggest that plague surveillance should integrate both methods. Effects of projected climate change on vector life cycles, flea community composition, and host–parasite interactions warrant continued monitoring and an adaptive approach to species recovery actions and plague mitigation measures.https://doi.org/10.1002/ecs2.3138burrow swabbingCanadaclimate changeCynomys ludovicianusGrasslands National Parkhealth |