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Abstract As natural populations continue to decline globally, direct forms of intervention are increasingly necessary to prevent extinction. One type of intervention, known as demographic rescue, occurs when individuals are added directly to a population to increase abundance and ultimately prevent population extinction. However, the role of infectious disease in demographic rescue remains unknown. To examine the effects of pathogens on demographic rescue, we used a host–pathogen system with the aquatic crustaceanDaphnia dentiferaas the host and the fungusMetschnikowia bicuspidataas the pathogen. We constructed a randomized 3 × 2 factorial experiment with three rescue treatments (none, low, high) and two pathogen treatments (unexposed, exposed), where the pathogen was introduced via infected individuals during rescue events. We found that adding more individuals to demographically depressed populations increased abundance over the short term; highly supplemented populations initially had 62% more individuals than populations that had no introduced individuals. However, by the end of the experiment, populations that did not have any individuals introduced averaged 640% higher abundance than populations where infected individuals had been added. Thus, the introduction of infected individuals can result in worse demographic outcomes for populations than if no rescue is attempted. 

Abstract Research integrity, an essential precept of scientific inquiry and discovery, comprises norms such as Rigor, Reproducibility, and Responsibility (the 3R’s). Over the past decades, numerous issues have arisen that challenge the reliability of scientific studies, including irreproducibility crises, lack of good scientific principles, and erroneous communications, which have impacted the public’s trust in science and its findings. Here, we highlight one important component of research integrity that is often overlooked in the discussion of proposals for improving research quality and promoting robust research; one that spans from the lab bench to the dissemination of scientific work: responsible science communication. We briefly outline the role of education and institutions of higher education in teaching the tenets of good scientific practice and within that, the importance of adequate communications training. In that context, we present our framework of responsible science communication that we live by and teach to our students in courses and workshops that are part of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health R 3 Center for Innovation in Science Education.