Data from: Urban landscapes can change virus gene flow and evolution in a fragmentation-sensitive carnivore

Urban expansion has widespread impacts on wildlife species globally,
including the transmission and emergence of infectious diseases. However,
there is almost no information about how urban landscapes shape
transmission dynamics in wildlife. Using an innovative phylodynamic
approach combining host and pathogen molecular data with landscape
characteristics and host traits, we untangle the complex factors that
drive transmission networks of Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV) in
bobcats (Lynx rufus). We found that the urban landscape played a
significant role in shaping FIV transmission. Even though bobcats were
often trapped within the urban matrix, FIV transmission events were more
likely to occur in areas with more natural habitat elements. Urban
fragmentation also resulted in lower rates of pathogen evolution, possibly
owing to a narrower range of host genotypes in the fragmented area.
Combined, our findings show that urban landscapes can have impacts on a
pathogen and its evolution in a carnivore living in one of the most
fragmented and urban systems in North America. The analytical approach
used here can be broadly applied to other host-pathogen systems, including
humans.