Wildlife Disease Ecology: Linking Theory to Data and Application

by Kenneth Wilson, Andy Fenton, Dan Tompkins
November 2019

Just like humans, animals and plants suffer from infectious diseases, which can critically threaten biodiversity. This book describes key studies that have driven our understanding of the ecology and evolution of wildlife diseases. Each chapter introduces the host and disease, and explains how that system has aided our general understanding of the evolution and spread of wildlife diseases, through the development and testing of important epidemiological and evolutionary theories. Questions addressed include: How do hosts and parasites co-evolve? What determines how fast a disease spreads through a population? How do co-infecting parasites interact? Why do hosts vary in parasite burden? Which factors determine parasite virulence and host resistance? How do parasites influence the spread of invasive species? How do we control infectious diseases in wildlife? This book will provide a valuable introduction to students new to the topic, and novel insights to researchers, professionals and policymakers working in the field.

• Integrates theory and application of wildlife disease ecology, enabling readers to gain a deep understanding of the subject in real world examples
• Using key case studies in the field, the book illustrates the development and testing of important epidemiological and evolutionary theories
• Extensively illustrated and written in an engaging style, the book provides an valuable introduction to students new to the field, as well as delivering novel insights for researchers, managers and policymakers