Modeling Frameworks that Integrate Disease and Ecosystem Ecology

While there are well established modeling frameworks in both disease and ecosystem ecology, these processes are often decoupled in models. Models in disease ecology rarely track organisms past death, yet death from infection can alter important ecosystem processes. In contrast, models in ecosystem ecology rarely track disease dynamics, yet elemental nutrient pools can regulate important disease processes. This separation is in part due to the different currencies and formulations of the core models used in fields rooted in population biology, such as disease ecology, and those arising from an ecosystem perspective. I will present several models that link these disciplines. These models are used to investigate host-pathogen interactions and how they may be altered by considering factors such as non-living pools and immunity.