ERADICATION THRESHOLDS IN EPIDEMIOLOGY, CONSERVATION BIOLOGY AND GENETICS

A simple model has been used to describe metapopulation dynamics, the spread of an infectious disease, and the dynamics of transposable elem ents (TEs). This suggests underlying common dynamics despite the diffe rent nature of the systems. Eradication thresholds are derived from th e common model and they are interpreted for each system. TEs have been viewed as intragenomic parasites. Thus, some ideas derived from epide miology, and in particular the existence of such eradication threshold s, can be used to explain some evolutionary puzzles such as the strang e distribution of TE families within the phylogeny of host species. (C ) 1998 Academic Press.