Supplemental feeding is a common management practice to support or increase wildlife populations. However, it can also have unintended consequences, such as increasing the risk of disease transmission. By understanding how different feeding strategies affect disease transmission, managers can make more informed decisions about when and how to provide supplemental food.
The new model developed by the UC Davis researchers is a general framework that can be applied to any wildlife species and disease system. The model incorporates a variety of factors that can influence disease transmission, such as the rate of contact between animals, the proportion of animals that are infected, and the duration of the infectious period.
The researchers used their model to explore how two different types of supplemental feeding—continuous feeding and pulsed feeding—affected disease dynamics in a population of white-tailed deer. Continuous feeding provides food throughout the year, while pulsed feeding provides food for a limited time period.
The researchers found that continuous feeding increased the risk of disease transmission, while pulsed feeding reduced the risk. This is because continuous feeding leads to a higher density of animals in the area, which increases the rate of contact between animals. Pulsed feeding, on the other hand, reduces the risk of disease transmission by reducing the amount of time that animals are in contact with each other.
The researchers also found that the effect of supplemental feeding on disease transmission depends on the type of disease. For diseases that are transmitted through direct contact, such as brucellosis, continuous feeding is more likely to increase disease transmission. For diseases that are transmitted through environmental contamination, such as salmonellosis, pulsed feeding is more likely to reduce disease transmission.
The new model provides a valuable tool for managers who are considering using supplemental feeding to support wildlife populations. The model can help managers understand how different feeding strategies will affect disease transmission, and make informed decisions about when and how to provide supplemental food.
