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2017 SRE Project

Temporal Dynamics in Multi-Host Systems: How Important is Seasonality?

Mentors:
Dr. Nina Fefferman, Assoc. Professor, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Univ. of Tennessee
Dr. Kellen Myers, Research Assoc, Fefferman Lab, Univ. of Tennessee

Participants: Tanay Wakhare (Univ. of Maryland); David Nguyen (Eastern Washington Univ.); Lara "Larissa" Weaver (Univ. of Tennessee)

photo.
Credit: Jairus Khan

Many pathogens in nature circulate among multiple host species. Understanding which species are the drivers of observed disease dynamics is critical to both control efforts and to preserving species/ecosystem functions in the face of emerging pathogens. Even within a single ecosystem, different host species affected can exhibit very different seasonal life-history patterns: distinct mating and breeding seasons, hibernation, etc. In this project, we will use a combination of agent-based models, differential equation models, and simplified game theoretic models to consider how these different disease-independent seasonal patterns in host populations can interact with disease transmission patterns to shape pathogen circulation dynamics among hosts in the ecosystem. If time permits, we will expand the models to include multiple pathogens.

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From 2008 until early 2021, NIMBioS was supported by the National Science Foundation through NSF Award #DBI-1300426, with additional support from The University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.
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