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Seasonal variation in habitat use and animal behavior can alter host contact patterns with potential consequences for pathogen transmission dynamics. The endangered Florida panther (Puma concolor coryi) has experienced significant pathogen-induced mortality and continues to be at risk of future epidemics. Prior research has found increased panther movement in Florida's dry versus wet seasons, which may affect panther population connectivity and seasonally increase potential pathogen transmission. Our objective was to determine if Florida panthers are more spatially connected in dry seasons relative to wet seasons, and test if identified connectivity differences resulted in divergent predicted epidemic dynamics. We leveraged extensive panther telemetry data to construct seasonal panther home range overlap networks over an 11 year period. We tested for differences in network connectivity, and used observed network characteristics to simulate transmission of a broad range of pathogens through dry and wet season networks. We found that panthers were more spatially connected in dry seasons than wet seasons. Further, these differences resulted in a trend toward larger and longer pathogen outbreaks when epidemics were initiated in the dry season. Our results demonstrate that seasonal variation in behavioral patterns—even among largely solitary species—can have substantial impacts on epidemic dynamics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pathogen management strategies in wildlife are typically accompanied by an array of uncertainties such as the efficacy of vaccines or potential unintended consequences of interventions. In the context of such uncertainties, models of disease transmission can provide critical insight for optimizing pathogen management, especially for species of conservation concern. The endangered Florida panther experienced an outbreak of feline leukaemia virus (FeLV) in 2002–2004, and continues to be affected by this deadly virus. Ongoing management efforts aim to mitigate the effects of FeLV on panthers, but with limited information about which strategies may be most effective and efficient.We used a simulation‐based approach to determine optimal FeLV management strategies in panthers. We simulated the use of proactive FeLV management strategies (i.e. proactive vaccination) and several reactive strategies, including reactive vaccination and test‐and‐removal. Vaccination strategies accounted for imperfect vaccine‐induced immunity, specifically partial immunity in which all vaccinates achieve partial pathogen protection. We compared the effectiveness of these different strategies in mitigating the number of FeLV mortalities and the duration of outbreaks.Results showed that inadequate proactive vaccination can paradoxically increase the number of disease‐induced mortalities in FeLV outbreaks. These effects were most likely due to imperfect vaccine immunity causing vaccinates to serve as a semi‐susceptible population, thereby allowing outbreaks to persist in circumstances otherwise conducive to fadeout. Combinations of proactive vaccination with reactive test‐and‐removal or vaccination, however, had a synergistic effect in reducing the impacts of FeLV outbreaks, highlighting the importance of using mixed strategies in pathogen management.Synthesis and applications. Management‐informed disease simulations are an important tool for identifying unexpected negative consequences and synergies among pathogen management strategies. In particular, we find that imperfect vaccine‐induced immunity necessitates further consideration to avoid unintentionally worsening epidemics in some conditions. However, mixing proactive and reactive interventions can improve pathogen control while mitigating uncertainties associated with imperfect interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wildlife translocations are a commonly used strategy in endangered species recovery programmes. Although translocations require detailed assessment of risk, their impact on parasite distribution has not been thoroughly assessed. This is despite the observation that actions that alter host–parasite distributions can drive evolution or introduce new parasites to previously sequestered populations. Here, we use a contemporary approach to amplify viral sequences from archived biological samples to characterize a previously undocumented impact of the successful genetic rescue of the Florida panther (Puma concolor coryi). Our efforts reveal transmission of feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) during translocation of pumas from Texas to Florida, resulting in extirpation of a historic Florida panther FIV subtype and expansion of a genetically stable subtype that is highly conserved in Texas and Florida. We used coalescent theory to estimate viral demography across time and show an exponential increase in the effective population size of FIV coincident with expansion of the panther population. Additionally, we show that FIV isolates from Texas are basal to isolates from Florida. Interestingly, FIV genomes recovered from Florida and Texas demonstrate exceptionally low interhost divergence. Low host genomic diversity and lack of additional introgressions may underlie the surprising lack of FIV evolution over 2 decades. We conclude that modern FIV in the Florida panther disseminated following genetic rescue and rapid population expansion, and that infectious disease risks should be carefully considered during conservation efforts involving translocations. Further, viral evolutionary dynamics may be significantly altered by ecological niche, host diversity and connectivity between host populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Movement patterns can influence an animal's ability to secure food, find mates, and avoid enemies, potentially affecting individual fitness. We studied movement patterns of 10 male and 3 female endangered Florida panthers (Puma concolor coryi) using location data collected from a long-term (2005-2012) GPS collar study. Males traveled faster and covered longer daily distances than females during both the wet and dry seasons (wet:dry- males 289:372 m/h and 4,616:6,701 m; females 186:280 m/h and 2,629:5,239 m). Panthers occupying higherselected habitat traveled faster, but with shorter daily movement distances in comparison to habitats that were less frequently selected. An index of risk (derived using traffic volume and road density) that was linked to habitat predicted to be avoided by panthers was associated with reduced daily movement distances. Our results suggest that Florida panthers alter their movement patterns in response to environmental change and anthropogenic disturbances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]