Scavengers reduce potential brucellosis transmission risk in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem
Scavengers likely play an important role in ecosystem energy flow as well as disease transmission, but whether they facilitate or reduce disease transmission is often unknown. In the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, scavengers are likely to reduce the transmission and subsequent spread of brucellosis within and between livestock and elk by consuming infectious abortion materials, thereby removing the infectious agent from the landscape. We used remote cameras to monitor the time to removal of simulated abortion materials by scavengers at 264 sites from February to June in 2017 and 2018 and assessed the effects of habitat and land management on time to removal in southwest Montana. Time to removal of fetal materials decreased in grassland habitats (x̄">
Citation Information
| Publication Year | 2021 |
|---|---|
| Title | Scavengers reduce potential brucellosis transmission risk in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem |
| DOI | 10.1002/ecs2.3783 |
| Authors | Kimberly E Szcodronski, Paul C. Cross |
| Publication Type | Article |
| Publication Subtype | Journal Article |
| Series Title | Ecosphere |
| Index ID | 70225166 |
| Record Source | USGS Publications Warehouse |
| USGS Organization | Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center |
Related Content
Time to removal of fetal materials by scavengers in SW Montana 2017 - 2018
Related Content
- Data
Time to removal of fetal materials by scavengers in SW Montana 2017 - 2018
We investigated the time to removal of bovine fetal materials, meant to simulate elk abortion materials, by scavengers in southwest Montana at 233 sites in February – June 2017 and 2018. Scavengers are likely to reduce the transmission risk of brucellosis, a bacterial disease that can lead to reproductive failure in infected elk, by consuming and removing infectious fetal materials from the landsc - Connect