Is disease a major causal factor in declines? An Evidence Framework and case study on koala chlamydiosis

L F Grogan; Alison J Peel; Douglas Kerlin; William Ellis; Darryl Jones; Jean-Marc Hero; Hamish McCallum

doi:10.1016/j.biocon.2018.03.030

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Is disease a major causal factor in declines? An Evidence Framework and case study on koala chlamydiosis

Journal article

Peer reviewed

Is disease a major causal factor in declines? An Evidence Framework and case study on koala chlamydiosis

L F Grogan, Alison J Peel, Douglas Kerlin, William Ellis, Darryl Jones, Jean-Marc Hero and Hamish McCallum

Biological Conservation, Vol.221, pp.334-344

2018

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2018.03.030

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Abstract

declines

koala

Phascolarctos cinereus

conservation

framework

Review

misconception

evidence

disease

Chlamydia

Determining the role of an infectious agent in contributing to wildlife population declines is a pervasive problem in the field of conservation biology. We expand on a recently proposed broad investigative approach for disease, with a systematic framework outlining the specific types of individual- and population-scale empirical evidence required to demonstrate whether a pathogen is a component cause of declines in wild animal populations. Using koala (Phascolarctos cinereus) population declines and their putative association with the bacterial disease chlamydiosis (Family Chlamydiaceae) as a case study, we review the relevant published literature and synthesize a logical conceptual argument based on our suggested framework. Available empirical evidence supports a role for chlamydiosis contributing to host mortality and sterility, and cannot rule out a role of chlamydiosis as a component cause of koala population declines. However, the relative importance of chlamydiosis (among other threatening processes) as a driver of changes in koala demography and autecology may differ depending on the particular population or system examined, and this has yet to be elucidated over the koala's distributional range. Our approach allows us to highlight current research gaps in order to assist with future policy planning and conservation strategy. We recommend that a similar approach will assist in the evaluation of the role of disease in population declines in other ecological systems.

Details

Title: Is disease a major causal factor in declines? An Evidence Framework and case study on koala chlamydiosis
Authors: L F Grogan (Author) - Griffith University
Alison J Peel (Author) - Griffith University
Douglas Kerlin (Author) - Griffith University
William Ellis (Author) - University of Queensland
Darryl Jones (Author) - Griffith University
Jean-Marc Hero (Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast - Faculty of Science, Health, Education and Engineering
Hamish McCallum (Author) - Griffith University
Publication details: Biological Conservation, Vol.221, pp.334-344
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date published: 2018
DOI: 10.1016/j.biocon.2018.03.030
ISSN: 0006-3207
Organisation Unit: University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland; School of Science, Technology and Engineering
Language: English
Record Identifier: 99450623202621
Output Type: Journal article

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Collaboration types: Domestic collaboration
Web Of Science research areas: Biodiversity Conservation; Ecology; Environmental Sciences

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