Opportunity Information: Apply for G17AS00095
This grant opportunity, titled "Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit, Chesapeake Watershed CESU" (Funding Opportunity Number G17AS00095), was offered by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), specifically through the Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center (NOROCK), under the Department of the Interior. It was structured as a discretionary cooperative agreement in the Science and Technology/Research and Development category (CFDA 15.808). The opportunity anticipated making a single award, with a maximum funding level (award ceiling) of $23,974. The posting date was June 22, 2017, with an original application deadline of July 7, 2017. Eligibility is listed broadly as "Others," with the expectation that applicants would need to consult the notice's additional eligibility language for precise qualification details.
The core purpose of the project is to use an extensive, long-term dataset on the Yellowstone National Park wolf population spanning from 1995 to the present to evaluate how wolf social structure influences infectious disease dynamics. Rather than treating contact rates as a single, simplified input, the project emphasizes building a realistic representation of wolf-to-wolf connectivity by constructing a contact network and then using that network to simulate how disease could spread through the population. A notable feature of this work is that key disease modeling parameters are expected to be grounded in empirical data, which is meant to improve biological realism and reduce reliance on purely hypothetical assumptions.
A central scientific emphasis is comparing two distinct mechanisms by which wolves may come into epidemiologically relevant contact. The first mechanism is spatial: transmission opportunities arising from overlap in spatial distribution and intensity of use, essentially capturing how territorial boundaries, shared areas, and patterns of landscape use can create pathways for pathogen spread. The second mechanism is social and demographic: annual dispersal events, which reflect how individuals leaving packs and moving across territories can connect otherwise separate groups. These two pathways are framed as representing different wolf social processes, namely territoriality (space and pack-based structure) and breeding strategy/dispersal (movement that reshuffles social and spatial connections). The notice highlights that while many studies have explored disease spread by manipulating or randomizing contact rates, it is less common to explicitly test multiple, biologically distinct mechanisms that generate contact, making this comparative approach a key motivation for the work.
The project is designed to produce practical insight into when an infectious disease is likely to persist in the Yellowstone wolf population versus when it might fade out or go extinct. The modeling focus is on two diseases with known impacts on wolves: canine distemper virus (CDV) and mange caused by Sarcoptes scabiei. Both are explicitly identified because they can cause significant morbidity and mortality, meaning they affect both health and survival and can plausibly alter population trajectories and pack dynamics. By simulating these diseases within a network informed by long-term behavioral and spatial data, the project aims to clarify how the structure of wolf society either amplifies or constrains outbreaks.
The workplan described in the opportunity implies three major deliverables or components that would be necessary for successful completion. First, the recipient would need to describe and summarize Yellowstone wolf social structure using the long-term dataset, which could include pack organization, relationships among packs, patterns of association, and spatial/territorial arrangements over time. Second, the project requires SIR (Susceptible-Infectious-Recovered) parameter estimation, meaning the model needs credible values for disease transmission and recovery processes (and potentially related features such as duration of infectiousness), derived from empirical evidence rather than generic literature defaults. Third, the recipient would develop the contact network model and run SIR simulations across that network, using the two transmission pathways (space-use overlap and dispersal) to evaluate disease spread outcomes. Collectively, these elements are intended to yield a clearer, mechanistic understanding of how wolf behavior and social organization shape epidemic risk and long-term disease dynamics in one of the best-studied wild carnivore populations in North America.Apply for G17AS00095
- The Department of the Interior, Geological Survey in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit, Chesapeake Watershed CESU" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 15.808.
- This funding opportunity was created on Jun 22, 2017.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Jul 07, 2017. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $23,974.00 in funding.
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
- Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is the title of this grant opportunity?
The opportunity is titled "Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit, Chesapeake Watershed CESU."
What is the Funding Opportunity Number?
The Funding Opportunity Number is G17AS00095.
Which federal agency offered this opportunity?
The opportunity was offered by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) under the Department of the Interior.
Which USGS center is associated with this funding notice?
The notice is associated with the Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center (NOROCK).
What type of award is this?
It was structured as a discretionary cooperative agreement.
What category does this funding fall under?
The opportunity is in the Science and Technology/Research and Development category.
What is the CFDA number listed for this opportunity?
The CFDA number is 15.808.
How many awards were anticipated?
The opportunity anticipated making a single award.
What is the maximum funding amount (award ceiling)?
The maximum funding level (award ceiling) was $23,974.
When was the opportunity posted?
The posting date was June 22, 2017.
What was the original application deadline?
The original application deadline was July 7, 2017.
Who is eligible to apply?
Eligibility is listed broadly as "Others." Applicants were expected to consult the notice's additional eligibility language for the precise qualification details.
What is the main purpose of the proposed project?
The project aims to use an extensive long-term dataset on the Yellowstone National Park wolf population (1995 to the present) to evaluate how wolf social structure influences infectious disease dynamics.
What dataset is central to the project?
The work is centered on a long-term Yellowstone National Park wolf dataset spanning from 1995 to the present.
What is meant by focusing on wolf social structure in disease dynamics?
Rather than treating contact rates as a single simplified input, the project emphasizes building a realistic representation of wolf-to-wolf connectivity by constructing a contact network and using it to simulate disease spread through the population.
What is a contact network in the context of this opportunity?
A contact network is a model of wolf-to-wolf connectivity used to represent how individuals and groups may come into epidemiologically relevant contact, forming pathways through which infection could spread.
Why does the notice emphasize empirical grounding of parameters?
Key disease modeling parameters are expected to be grounded in empirical data to improve biological realism and reduce reliance on purely hypothetical assumptions.
What are the two main mechanisms of contact the project will compare?
The project compares (1) spatial transmission opportunities arising from overlap in spatial distribution and intensity of use and (2) social/demographic transmission opportunities arising from annual dispersal events.
What does the spatial mechanism of contact represent?
It represents transmission opportunities created by overlap in spatial distribution and intensity of use, including how territorial boundaries, shared areas, and landscape-use patterns can create pathways for pathogen spread.
What does the dispersal mechanism of contact represent?
It represents annual dispersal events in which individuals leave packs and move across territories, connecting otherwise separate groups and reshaping social and spatial connections.
How are these two mechanisms framed scientifically?
They are framed as different wolf social processes: territoriality (space and pack-based structure) versus breeding strategy/dispersal (movement that reshuffles connections among packs and territories).
Why is comparing multiple biologically distinct contact mechanisms important here?
The notice highlights that while many studies explore disease spread by manipulating or randomizing contact rates, it is less common to explicitly test multiple biologically distinct mechanisms that generate contact. This comparative approach is a key motivation for the work.
What diseases are specifically targeted in the modeling work?
The modeling focuses on canine distemper virus (CDV) and mange caused by Sarcoptes scabiei.
Why were CDV and mange selected?
They are identified as diseases with known impacts on wolves and can cause significant morbidity and mortality, affecting both health and survival and plausibly altering population trajectories and pack dynamics.
What kind of model is mentioned for simulating disease dynamics?
The opportunity specifies SIR (Susceptible-Infectious-Recovered) modeling, including parameter estimation and simulations over a contact network.
What does SIR parameter estimation refer to in this notice?
It refers to estimating credible values for processes such as disease transmission and recovery (and potentially related features such as duration of infectiousness), derived from empirical evidence rather than generic defaults.
What outcomes is the project designed to help explain?
The project is designed to produce practical insight into when an infectious disease is likely to persist in the Yellowstone wolf population versus when it might fade out or go extinct.
What are the major components or deliverables implied by the workplan?
The notice implies three major components: (1) describing and summarizing Yellowstone wolf social structure using the long-term dataset, (2) SIR parameter estimation grounded in empirical evidence, and (3) developing a contact network model and running SIR simulations using the two transmission pathways (space-use overlap and dispersal).
What does summarizing Yellowstone wolf social structure potentially include?
It could include pack organization, relationships among packs, patterns of association, and spatial/territorial arrangements over time.
How will the two transmission pathways be used in the simulations?
The simulations are intended to use both space-use overlap and dispersal-based connections to evaluate disease spread outcomes and compare how each mechanism affects outbreak dynamics.
What is the broader scientific aim of combining long-term behavior/spatial data with network disease simulations?
The goal is to yield a clearer, mechanistic understanding of how wolf behavior and social organization shape epidemic risk and long-term disease dynamics in a well-studied wild carnivore population.
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| Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit (CESU), Rocky Mountain CESU Apply for G17AS00076 Funding Number: G17AS00076 Agency: Department of the Interior, Geological Survey Category: Science and Technology and other Research and Development Funding Amount: $499,000 |
| DENDROECOLOGY OF NCRN TREES Apply for P17AS00374 Funding Number: P17AS00374 Agency: Department of the Interior, National Park Service Category: Science and Technology and other Research and Development Funding Amount: $95,482 |
| Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit, Great Plains CEsU Apply for G17AS00097 Funding Number: G17AS00097 Agency: Department of the Interior, Geological Survey Category: Science and Technology and other Research and Development Funding Amount: $44,491 |
| Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit, Rocky Mountain CESU Apply for G17AS00077 Funding Number: G17AS00077 Agency: Department of the Interior, Geological Survey Category: Science and Technology and other Research and Development Funding Amount: $94,529 |
| Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit, Rocky Mountain CESU Apply for G17AS00102 Funding Number: G17AS00102 Agency: Department of the Interior, Geological Survey Category: Science and Technology and other Research and Development Funding Amount: $85,671 |
| Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit, Great Lakes Northern Forests CESU Apply for G17AS00098 Funding Number: G17AS00098 Agency: Department of the Interior, Geological Survey Category: Science and Technology and other Research and Development Funding Amount: $80,000 |
| Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit, Californian CESU Apply for G17AS00082 Funding Number: G17AS00082 Agency: Department of the Interior, Geological Survey Category: Science and Technology and other Research and Development Funding Amount: $20,000 |
| Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit, North Atlantic Coast CESU Apply for G17AS00090 Funding Number: G17AS00090 Agency: Department of the Interior, Geological Survey Category: Science and Technology and other Research and Development Funding Amount: $30,000 |
| Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit, Gulf Coast CESU Apply for G17AS00061 Funding Number: G17AS00061 Agency: Department of the Interior, Geological Survey Category: Science and Technology and other Research and Development Funding Amount: $460,000 |
| Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit, Great Plains CESU Apply for G17AS00086 Funding Number: G17AS00086 Agency: Department of the Interior, Geological Survey Category: Science and Technology and other Research and Development Funding Amount: $75,000 |
| Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit, Rocky Mountain CESU Apply for G17AS00103 Funding Number: G17AS00103 Agency: Department of the Interior, Geological Survey Category: Science and Technology and other Research and Development Funding Amount: $81,971 |
| Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit, Rocky Mountain CESU Apply for G17AS00096 Funding Number: G17AS00096 Agency: Department of the Interior, Geological Survey Category: Science and Technology and other Research and Development Funding Amount: $25,000 |
| Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit, Great Lakes Northern Forests CESU Apply for G17AS00091 Funding Number: G17AS00091 Agency: Department of the Interior, Geological Survey Category: Science and Technology and other Research and Development Funding Amount: $91,000 |
| Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit, Rocky Mountain CESU Apply for G17AS00094 Funding Number: G17AS00094 Agency: Department of the Interior, Geological Survey Category: Science and Technology and other Research and Development Funding Amount: $50,000 |
| Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit, Rocky Mountain CESU Apply for G17AS00093 Funding Number: G17AS00093 Agency: Department of the Interior, Geological Survey Category: Science and Technology and other Research and Development Funding Amount: $90,000 |
| Fish and Wildlife Coordination and Assistance Apply for F17AS00276 Funding Number: F17AS00276 Agency: Department of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service Category: Science and Technology and other Research and Development Funding Amount: $99,000 |
| Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit, Great Lakes Northern Forests CESU Apply for G17AS00080 Funding Number: G17AS00080 Agency: Department of the Interior, Geological Survey Category: Science and Technology and other Research and Development Funding Amount: $166,977 |
| CENTER OF EXCELLENCE: Trusted Human-Machine Teaming Apply for FOA AFRL AFOSR 2017 0001 Funding Number: FOA AFRL AFOSR 2017 0001 Agency: Department of Defense, Air Force Office of Scientific Research Category: Science and Technology and other Research and Development Funding Amount: $5,000,000 |
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