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Modelling the effects of disease on the speed of ecological invasions.
by
Sally S Bell
Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh
Coauthors: Dr. Andy White (Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh) and Prof. Mike Boots (University of Sheffield, Sheffield)
We use mathematical models to analyse how a shared disease affects the spread of an invasive species. We examine the temporal dynamics and compare the speed of invasion with and without disease. This work highlights the importance of the relative effects of different disease parameters when considering the speed of invasion and the speed of replacement of the native species. A spatial extension of the model shows a wave of disease, instigated by the initial introduction of the invading species, spreads through the native population in advance of the wave of invasion. The presence of the disease allows the invading species to extend the range over which it replaces the native species. These results therefore have important conservation implications.
Date received: February 18, 2008
Copyright © 2008 by the author(s). The author(s) of this document and the organizers of the conference have granted their consent to include this abstract in Atlas Conferences Inc. Document # cawd-13.