Biodiversity and emerging diseases

The EU-funded DISTURBED (Predicting impacts of anthropogenic disturbance and biodiversity loss on emerging infectious diseases) project determined how pressure from human activities results in biodiversity loss, leading to increased disease emergence and transmission in animal communities.

Environmental disturbances as a result of human pressure include habitat loss, nutrient enrichment (eutrophication) and introduced species. Disease emergence was assessed by examining the communities of parasites found in fish populations.

Researchers identified how the assessed disturbances influenced diversity and how this then affected the rates of fish disease emergence. This information was then used in predictive models that related environmental change with emerging infectious diseases.

Three different research approaches were used. The first involved a field study conducted on natural ponds with different levels of disturbance from human activities. The second featured a field experiment using a gradient of fish biodiversity to identify its role in disease emergence, while the final approach employed predictive statistical modelling.

Results showed that the relationship between disease emergence, biodiversity and changes to the environment is highly complex. Key relationships were revealed that increased scientific knowledge of the relationship between pathogens, their host communities and their environment. For instance, fish populations in highly disturbed ponds were found to have significantly higher parasite burdens.

The DISTURBED project provided novel insight into the role played by biodiversity in disease emergence and the underlying mechanisms involved.