Which epidemiological models best describe the influence of infectious diseases on ecosystem processes?
Ecological epidemiologists have developed a rich variety of disease transmission models that quite successfully predict population processes related to infectious disease. Recently, this has included development of spatially-explicit models of disease transmission. The same kinds of analyses on an ecosystem level are much less developed, but the best possibilities lie in spatially-explicit simulations and estimation based on either cellular automata or GIS generated risk surfaces. 4) What tools are available for creating analytical and predictive models of disease spread and persistence? This discussion mainly focused on what is limiting infectious disease research in the LTER. In terms of data, critical measurements beyond general surveys of plants and animals include measuring disease prevalence, host density, and mortality/morbidity caused by disease. Modern techniques based on PCR and serology (antibody) assays have improved our ability to detect disease beyond that afforded by dir
