PERSISTENCE, CHAOS AND SYNCHRONY IN ECOLOGY AND EPIDEMIOLOGY

The decline of species in natural habitats concerns ecologists, who vi ew extinction as a danger and conservation of biological diversity as a goal. In contrast, the proliferation of 'undesirable' species is the principal concern of epidemiologists, who view persistence as a probl em and eradication as an achievement. While ecologists and epidemiolog ists have essentially opposite goals, the mathematical structure of th e population dynamics that they study is very similar. We briefly revi ew the similarities and differences between these two fields, emphasiz ing recent work in both areas on the effects of spatial synchrony and dynamical chaos. We hope to stimulate further cross-fertilization of i deas between the disciplines.