Category: Pathogens and disease

Careers, Citizen science, Coastal and marine, Invasive species, Pathogens and disease, Research summaries

Samuel Fischer: How can invasive species management benefit from smartphone data?

Shortlisted for the 2023 Southwood Prize Samuel Fischer discusses how he and colleagues researched and utilised an angler smartphone app to build a stochastic model for angler traffic in the Canadian province of Alberta. Anglers facilitate the spread of whirling disease, a parasite-induced fish disease, meaning this model demonstrates the importance of individual-specific behaviour of vectors for propagule transport. From smartphone data to invasive species … Continue reading Samuel Fischer: How can invasive species management benefit from smartphone data?

Journal of Applied EcologyLeave a comment
Human-wildlife interactions, Monitoring and methods, Pathogens and disease, Research summaries

How using multiple surveillance methods can help us track low prevalence disease

Abigail Feuka discusses how she, alongside colleagues, employed three surveillance methods to estimate the probability of presence and spread of a low-prevalence pathogen at a landscape scale under incomplete sampling coverage. Wildlife disease The COVID-19 pandemic has brought disease transmission from animals to humans into the public spotlight. But studying wildlife disease can be tricky, especially low prevalence diseases, where proportionally few individuals in a … Continue reading How using multiple surveillance methods can help us track low prevalence disease

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Invasive species, Monitoring and methods, Pathogens and disease

Estimating when the Tiger mosquito will invade a country to prevent the exposure to vector-borne diseases

Sandra Oliveira discusses new research, conducted with colleagues, that saw the development of a model to predict the possible future spread of the invasive Tiger mosquito. The Tiger mosquito (Aedes albopictus) is a highly invasive species that, in the last 40 years, has colonized all continents except Antarctica. Why do we need to worry about it? Because this mosquito can carry several viruses and spread … Continue reading Estimating when the Tiger mosquito will invade a country to prevent the exposure to vector-borne diseases

Journal of Applied Ecology1 Comment
Agriculture, Human-wildlife interactions, Pathogens and disease, Research summaries, Translation

Rumslig och tidsmässig isolering av rapsfält minskar förekomsten av skadeinsekter och skador på grödan

Det här blogginlägget finns även på engelska här.
Fabian Boetzl berättar för oss om sin och sina kollegors forskning om landskapsbaserade strategier för att minska trycket från skadeinsekter och skador på grödor. Continue reading Rumslig och tidsmässig isolering av rapsfält minskar förekomsten av skadeinsekter och skador på grödan

Journal of Applied Ecology2 Comments
Agriculture, Human-wildlife interactions, Pathogens and disease, Research summaries

Spatiotemporal isolation of oilseed rape fields reduces insect pest pressure and crop damage

This blog post is also available in Swedish here. Fabian Boetzl talks us through his and his colleagues’ new research on landscape-based strategies to reduce insect pest pressure and crop damage. The problem Systemic neonicotinoid insecticides are detrimental to a wide range of beneficial biodiversity, with wild bees as the most prominent example. Due to these observed negative side-effects, systemic neonicotinoid insecticides have been banned … Continue reading Spatiotemporal isolation of oilseed rape fields reduces insect pest pressure and crop damage

Journal of Applied Ecology2 Comments
Monitoring and methods, Pathogens and disease, Research summaries

Let’s improve disease metrics in wildlife: an example with Darwin’s frogs infected by the deadly chytrid fungus

Hugo Sentenac discusses theirs and colleagues’ recent research article which uses data from a fungal pathogen and Darwin’s frogs to assess the magnitude of prevalence bias, as well as illustrate how it can impact disease risk assessment. Infectious diseases: Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis Certain infectious diseases have wrought havoc in nature. One dramatic example is the amphibian chytridiomycosis caused by the chytrid fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis.  It has … Continue reading Let’s improve disease metrics in wildlife: an example with Darwin’s frogs infected by the deadly chytrid fungus

Journal of Applied Ecology1 Comment
Human-wildlife interactions, Monitoring and methods, Pathogens and disease, Practitioners, Research summaries

Research stories: Using accelerometers to uncover wildlife behaviour

How can we study wildlife behaviours associated with disease transmission without altering those behaviours ourselves, via our presence? Authors Van de Vuurst and Alexander share their latest Practice Insights that explore a new method to overcome this problem. Wildlife research is a job made of calluses, sweat and patience. From sample gathering along stream banks to telemetry surveys across frozen tundra, all wildlife professionals are … Continue reading Research stories: Using accelerometers to uncover wildlife behaviour

AER | ESE2 Comments
Pathogens and disease, Practitioners, Research summaries, Urban ecosystems

Grub Hub for Fat Bats

Winifred Frick and colleagues share their latest research that tested a novel conservation approach targeted at improving foraging conditions near bat hibernacula with the overall aim of improving habitat conditions that can aid population resilience and recovery. Can we make them fatter? This was the million-dollar question that started the Fat Bat program at Bat Conservation International (BCI). It took a couple years of trial, … Continue reading Grub Hub for Fat Bats

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Careers, Human-wildlife interactions, Journal news, Pathogens and disease, Practitioners, The Applied Ecologist community

Southwood Prize 2022: Winner announced for early career researcher award

Journal of Applied Ecology is pleased to announce Paula Prist as the winner of the 2022 Southwood Prize! The award is given to the best article in the journal by an author at the start of their career and was picked from a shortlist of 12 articles.  Winner: Paula Prist Research: Roads and forest edges facilitate yellow fever virus dispersion About the research Much has … Continue reading Southwood Prize 2022: Winner announced for early career researcher award

Journal of Applied Ecology1 Comment
Human-wildlife interactions, Pathogens and disease, Practitioners, Research summaries

Badger social structure maintained despite selective culling

In their new study, Allen et al. present a case study in Northern Ireland (NI) showing how selective culling can be less disruptive to badger social structures than indiscriminate culling. This method could be an effective and more socially acceptable means of controlling bovine tuberculosis (bTB) in wildlife. The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has raised consciousness on the issue of human disturbance of ecosystems and how this … Continue reading Badger social structure maintained despite selective culling

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