Study of contact rates between domestic and wild ungulates in Doñana National Park

Trabajo Fin de Máster: Máster universitario en investigación básica y aplicada en recursos cinegéticos.Wild boar (Sus scrofa) is currently the most widely distributed species in overall Europe. It is also the more relevant wild reservoir of several diseases shared with livestock and/or humans, including tuberculosis (TB) that is cause by mycobacteria of Mycobaterium tuberculosis complex (MTC). The transmission of MTC is important in areas with high frequency of effective contacts between potential reservoirs, as it is the case of Doñana National Park (DNP), where domestic and wild ungulates cohabit. Different approaches have been used to determine potential contacts between individuals. In this study, using GPS-GSM tracked wild boar (n=18) and cattle (n=12), we aimed to (i) determine intra and interspecific contacts for domestic and wild ungulates; (ii) describe the seasonal contacts rates between wild boar and cattle, but also the intraspecific for wild boar; and (iii) identify the environmental variables increasing the probability of interspecific contacts occurrence. In this study, contacts were defined using two spatial (52 – 127 m) and three temporal (1 – 72 – 288 h) windows, so finally six spatio-temporal windows were used. In addition, contact presence was modelled in order to determine the environmental predictors explaining the contact pattern in DNP and its seasonality. For this purpose, random points were placed within the overlapping areas between seasonal home ranges of each pair of interacting individuals. Our results pin pointed to spring and autumn as the more relevant seasons for establishing interspecific contact. Whether these contacts involve higher potential for pathogen transmission in our study area should be addressed (for instance, less frequency of contact but occurring at localized environmental sources of pathogens may involve more risk in summer season). This study also suggests that contacts do not occur in areas with dense vegetation, as dense shrublands and woodlands but highlights the relevance of the proximity to water points and vera ecotone in explaining contacts patter in DNP. Even our results are relevant to improve the understanding of the epidemiology of TB in DNP and to support intervention measures for minimize the effective contacts between domestic and wild ungulates, a more in detail exploration of the contacts determined in our study is needed. For instance, by determining the contacting individuals, exploring the daily patterns of the contacts, and characterizing the contacts in terms of selected resources would provide better understanding of the seasonal patterns of both intraspecific and interspecific contacts.Peer Reviewe