Will the Tasmanian devil species be more susceptible to the new diseases after 1996's DFTD outbreak there?

Question

How the huge reduction of the Tasmanian devil population since 1996 affects the susceptibility of the current population to new diseases in comparison with the susceptibility of the population before 1996?

Answer 1

Stanton has given given you a very good explanation that I would just like to add to. The key here is that disease is a density-dependent factor that effects population growth and size. Since the devil population has been decreased then the risk or susceptibility of the population for communicable diseases also decreases. But, like Stanton said, the animals still individually have the same disease susceptibility.

Answer 2

Hi Alex M.,

"Susceptibility" is a suspect term here, I think. The individual devils are each no more nor less capable of succumbing to any particular disorder, be it viral, bacteria, fungal, or nasty cancer-transmitted-directly-by-biting, than before the DFTD onset. There's no herd immunity here and the mortality once bitten is high. However, the RATE of SPREAD or PROBABILITY of TRANSMISSION of any condition is diminished by the lower population density, assuming of course that the devils have no fatalistic urge to seek out other devils to be bitten by. They simply won't be encountering each other as often.

Further than that, I guess you could say that the Details are in the Devils?

-- Cheers, -- Mr. d.