Investigating the Impact of Fish Invasion on Disease Dynamics through Individual Based Modeling

Aquatic, invasive species are a leading cause of declines in native fish communities. AIS can cause extirpation of native fishes through predation and competition, alteration of habitat through ecosystem engineering and changes in food webs, among others. AIS have also been documented to introduce exotic pathogens. The effects of AIS on the disease risk profile of native fishes is not well-studied, in particular the effects of AIS on transmission of both exotic and non-exotic pathogens. Here, I present an individual based model of a native fish community in a large river prior to and following the introduction of an invasive fish species. Realistic fish movement and disease transmission amongst individuals/species with varying levels of pathogen susceptibility. The model is designed to be readily adaptable to different habitat types (lentic, lotic, marine) and fish species. It is implemented in NetLogo with parameters drawn from the literature and my previous work on disease in invasive Asian carps.