Volume 14, Number 1—January 2008
THEME ISSUE
International Polar Year
Perspective
Integrated Approaches and Empirical Models for Investigation of Parasitic Diseases in Northern Wildlife
Eric P. Hoberg*
, Lydden Polley†, Emily J. Jenkins†‡, Susan J. Kutz§, Alasdair M. Veitch¶, and Brett T. Elkin#
, Lydden Polley†, Emily J. Jenkins†‡, Susan J. Kutz§, Alasdair M. Veitch¶, and Brett T. Elkin#Table 1
Approaches and tools for exploring diversity and changes in complex host-parasite systems
| Definition of pathogen diversity |
|---|
| 1) Geographically extensive and site intensive survey and inventory |
| 2) Determination of faunal diversity for species present, for which systematics is the foundation |
| 3) Patterns of association for hosts |
| 4) Geographic range for hosts and parasites |
| 5) Numerical, abundance/ intensity data |
| 6) Seasonal data for distribution and patterns of transmission |
| 7) Survey linking parasite species diversity to population structure requiring integrated morphologic and molecular approaches for accurate and rapid diagnostics |
| 8) Molecular prospecting for diversity |
| 9) Distribution of parasites versus distribution of disease |
| Development of historical baselines |
| 1) Archival museum collections |
| 2) Host-parasite phylogenetic frameworks |
| 3) Historical ecology and biogeography/phylogeography to clarify past abiotic and biotic determinants of distribution |
| 4) Geographic information system applications |
| 5) Analogue approaches to be applied where historical processes that have structured faunas are used to inform or predict the responses of contemporary systems under a regime of dynamic climate change |
| Exploration of environmental effects |
| 1) Define thresholds and rates for development |
| 2) Define tolerances for environmental parameters, e.g., temperature, humidity, precipitation |
| 3) Define environmental limitations on distribution |
| Characterization of disease conditions |
| 1) Laboratory-based experimental infections in parasite naïve hosts |
| 2) Pathology and histology |
| 3) Evaluations of natural mortality and associations with parasites |
| Establishment of surveillance networks and monitoring |
| 1) Targeted strategic survey and inventory |
| 2) Opportunistic networks linking wildlife managers and communities |
| Development and testing of predictive models |
| 1) Integrative frameworks incorporating data from survey, parasite diversity, historical analogues, environmental thresholds, tolerances and constraints |
| 2) Responses under scenarios for climatologic/environmental change |
| 3) Validation through long-term monitoring |
