REG-33306 Disease Ecology

Course

Credits 6.00

Language of instruction:

English

Assumed knowledge on:

REG-20803 Applied Animal Ecology

Continuation courses:

Thesis MFN

Contents:

The overarching aim of the course is to offer a current and comprehensive view of the causes and consequences of infectious disease at the levels of individuals, populations, communities, and ecosystems. Primary objectives are that students understand 1) the host-parasite relationship as a key ecological interaction (i.e., analogous to the predator-prey relationship) and 2) the general approaches and specific techniques essential to the study disease ecology.

Learning outcomes:

After successful completion of this course students are expected to be able to:
- summarize the key features and describe the impact/relevance of different infectious diseases affecting free-living organisms;
- evaluate behavioral and ecological factors that affect spatio-temporal variation in disease outbreaks;
- make and justify predictions relating ecological variation and host immune defenses;
- assess methods for studying diseases and host defenses of wild populations;
- design and implement an ecological study to answer a question related to diseases and host defenses;
- appraise the strengths and limitations of modelling diseases and outbreaks in wild populations;
- compare and contrast scenarios that would and would not result in a disease outbreak;
- evaluate potential interventions for their capacity to control an outbreak.

Activities:

- reading assigned literature;
- participating in lectures, practicals, and collaborative activities;
- modelling diseases;
- carrying out experiments and analyzing data.

Examination:

Three main components will contribute equally to the final grade:
- short quizzes (daily, digital, and in-class; based on that days materials) and a final examination (based on entire lecture/theory component);
- project presentation I (based on computer modelling practical; a daily blog to share triumphs and challenges with classmates and instructors);
- project presentation II (based on results from field/laboratory practical; a short talk with audio-visual and/or slide (e.g. PowerPoint) support).
To pass the course, a minimum grade of 5.5 is required for each component.

Literature:

A reader will be available, digital and hardcopy.