Diseases
How does Disease Impact Biodiversity?
The word disease is known as a condition which negatively affects the structure and or function of an animal. In the wild, diseases affect the survival of species, which increases the likelihood of extinction as chances of reproduction severely decrease. In addition, reducing populations of certain species creates a domino effect on intricate ecosystems as the food chain is disrupted and dependent species decline. An example of this is Dutch Elm Disease, which is a fungal infection that harms elm trees. The decline of elm tree population later affects caterpillars, birds, beetles, and squirrels which may depend on the plant’s wood, leaves, or shade.
The Dilution Effect
The Dilution Effect
Research has shown that a large biodiversity actually protects humans from zoonotic diseases (diseases which can be spread from animals to humans). This is because a higher population of “victims” for a specific disease significantly reduces the chance that animals carrying the diseases will infect humans. An example of this is Lyme disease, where many white-footed mice carry the bacteria which causes this disease. Ticks are likely to be infected when they receive their first blood meal from a mouse carrying this disease, and when host diversity is high for the tick, the chances of it receiving its first blood meal from an infected mouse decreases, which decreases the chance of the tick being infected and ultimately protects humans from infection.
