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dc.contributor.advisorMcCallum, Hamish
dc.contributor.authorGiles, John
dc.date.accessioned2018-01-23T02:24:11Z
dc.date.available2018-01-23T02:24:11Z
dc.date.issued2017
dc.identifier.doi10.25904/1912/1418
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10072/365953
dc.description.abstractHendra virus is a bat-borne RNA virus that has recently emerged as a public health concern in Australia. Hendra virus is maintained in its reservoir hosts, pteropid bats (Pteropus alecto, P. poliocephalus, P. conspiculatus, and P. scapulatus) and occasionally spills over into horses. Previous research notes the considerable spatiotemporal variability in both spillover events and viral excretion from bats, which has generated many hypotheses to explain Hendra virus disease dynamics. However, the complex drivers of disease emergence make it difficult to ascertain the ecological drivers to spillover and the human-mediated factors that influence them. In this thesis, I employ a diverse set of analyses to investigate patterns of Hendra virus spillover and viral prevalence in bat populations, focusing on foraging resources as a driver of bat population distribution. Specifically, I develop an integrative theoretical foundation to model transmission among roosts using a resource-driven metapopulation approach. I use temporal models of bat population flux and foraging intensity built with remotely sensed proxies of Eucalypt phenology to understand changes in resources and population abundance. I analyze the periodicity, spatiotemporal synchrony, and environmental drivers of viral prevalence among bat roosts. Concerning future data collection studies, I develop theoretical spatial simulations to optimize the use of under-roost sheet sampling methods that collect pooled urine samples.
dc.languageEnglish
dc.publisherGriffith University
dc.publisher.placeBrisbane
dc.rights.copyrightThe author owns the copyright in this thesis, unless stated otherwise.
dc.subject.keywordsHendra virus
dc.subject.keywordsFruit bats
dc.subject.keywordsFruit bat foraging
dc.titleFruit Bat Foraging Ecology and Emergence of Hendra Virus in Australia
dc.typeGriffith thesis
gro.facultyScience, Environment, Engineering and Technology
gro.rights.copyrightThe author owns the copyright in this thesis, unless stated otherwise.
gro.hasfulltextFull Text
dc.contributor.otheradvisorPeel, Alison
dc.contributor.otheradvisorPlowright, Raina
dc.rights.accessRightsPublic
gro.identifier.gurtIDgu1510722385609
gro.thesis.degreelevelThesis (PhD Doctorate)
gro.thesis.degreeprogramDoctor of Philosophy (PhD)
gro.departmentGriffith School of Environment
gro.griffith.authorGiles, John


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