Plague metapopulation dynamics in a natural reservoir: the burrow system as the unit of study
Plague metapopulation dynamics in a natural reservoir: the burrow system as the unit of study
复制标题
DOI：
10.1017/s095026880600759x
复制
发表时间：
2007-07-01
影响因子：
4.2
通讯作者：
Begon, M.
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Davis, S.;Klassovskiy, N.;Begon, M.
人们对中亚古代鼠疫疫源地的鼠疫（鼠疫耶尔森氏菌感染）的生态学仍然知之甚少。我们提供了哈萨克斯坦两个地点的现场数据，其中大沙鼠（Rhombomys opimus）是主要的自然宿主。家庭群体居住并保卫分布在整个景观中的洞穴系统，因此宿主种群可以被视为一个集合种群，每个被占领的洞穴系统都是一个亚种群。我们研究了家庭群体内部和家庭群体之间的鼠疫传播及其对生存的影响。尽管鼠疫进入洞穴系统后并非所有沙鼠都会被感染，但鼠疫的传播在家庭群体内发生的比例不成比例。没有空间模式表明靠近受感染洞穴系统的家庭群体比远离的家庭群体更容易受到感染。在某一地点，感染增加了洞穴系统灭绝的可能性。总的来说，将洞穴系统视为更大的集合种群中的研究单位是有用的。
The ecology of plague (Yersinia pestis infection) in its ancient foci in Central Asia remains poorly understood. We present field data from two sites in Kazakhstan where the great gerbil (Rhombomys opimus) is the major natural host. Family groups inhabit and defend burrow systems spaced throughout the landscape, such that the host population may be considered a metapopulation, with each occupied burrow system a subpopulation. We examine plague transmission within and between family groups and its effect on survival. Transmission of plague occurred disproportionately within family groups although not all gerbils became infected once plague entered a burrow system. There were no spatial patterns to suggest that family groups in close proximity to infected burrow systems were more at risk of infection than those far away. At one site, infection increased the chances of burrow-system extinction. Overall, it is useful to consider the burrow system as the unit of study within a much larger metapopulation.