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Towards common ground in the biodiversity–disease debate

Nature Ecology & Evolution volume 4, pages 24–33 (2020)Cite this article

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Abstract

The disease ecology community has struggled to come to consensus on whether biodiversity reduces or increases infectious disease risk, a question that directly affects policy decisions for biodiversity conservation and public health. Here, we summarize the primary points of contention regarding biodiversity–disease relationships and suggest that vector-borne, generalist wildlife and zoonotic pathogens are the types of parasites most likely to be affected by changes to biodiversity. One synthesis on this topic revealed a positive correlation between biodiversity and human disease burden across countries, but as biodiversity changed over time within these countries, this correlation became weaker and more variable. Another synthesis—a meta-analysis of generally smaller-scale experimental and field studies—revealed a negative correlation between biodiversity and infectious diseases (a dilution effect) in various host taxa. These results raise the question of whether biodiversity–disease relationships are more negative at smaller spatial scales. If so, biodiversity conservation at the appropriate scales might prevent wildlife and zoonotic diseases from increasing in prevalence or becoming problematic (general proactive approaches). Further, protecting natural areas from human incursion should reduce zoonotic disease spillover. By contrast, for some infectious diseases, managing particular species or habitats and targeted biomedical approaches (targeted reactive approaches) might outperform biodiversity conservation as a tool for disease control. Importantly, biodiversity conservation and management need to be considered alongside other disease management options. These suggested guiding principles should provide common ground that can enhance scientific and policy clarity for those interested in simultaneously improving wildlife and human health.

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Fig. 1: The frequency of interactions with biodiversity and transmission potential are likely to influence whether a parasite will be weakly or strongly affected by biodiversity.

Measles photo, CDC/NIP/Barbara Rice; Giardia lamblia, CDC/Janice Haney Carr; HIV image, Matthew Cole / Alamy Stock Vector; tick photo, Scott Bauer, USDA Agricultural Research Service.

Fig. 2: Venn diagram depicting two primary disease management strategies, general proactive and targeted reactive approaches, and examples of each.
Fig. 3: Hypothetical relationships between biodiversity and disease risk.
Fig. 4: Hedges’ g effect sizes.

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Acknowledgements

We are thankful to J. Cohen, A. Dobson, R. Holt, P. T. J. Johnson, A. M. Kilpatrick, T. Levi, C. Lively and M. Venesky for insightful discussions on biodiversity–disease relationships over the years, and J. Mihaljevic for constructive comments on this manuscript. We also cannot thank R. Ostfeld and F. Keesing enough for >1.5 years of invaluable input on this manuscript as invited co-authors and their contributions to the biodiversity–disease discipline in general. All co-authors were encouraged to document any points of disagreement or compromise in an Appendix to this paper and passed on that opportunity. This research was supported by grants from the National Science Foundation (EF-1241889), National Institutes of Health (R01GM109499, R01TW010286), US Department of Agriculture (NRI 2006-01370, 2009-35102-0543), and US Environmental Protection Agency (CAREER 83518801) to J.R.R., by a grant from the National Science Foundation (OCE-1829509), an Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Sloan Research Fellowship, a University of Washington Innovation Award, and a University of Washington Royalty Research Fund award to C.L.W., and by grants from the National Science Foundation (DEB-1518681), the Stanford University Woods Institute for the Environment, and the Hellman Faculty Scholars fund to E.A.M. Any use of trade, firm, or product names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the US Government.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biological Sciences, Eck Institute of Global Health, Environmental Change Initiative, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN, USA

    Jason R. Rohr

  2. Department of Biology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA

    David J. Civitello

  3. Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland

    Fletcher W. Halliday

  4. Center for Infectious Disease Dynamics, Biology Department, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA

    Peter J. Hudson

  5. Western Ecological Research Center, US Geological Survey, c/o Marine Science Institute, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA, USA

    Kevin D. Lafferty

  6. School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA

    Chelsea L. Wood

  7. Biology Department, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA

    Erin A. Mordecai

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J.R.R. initiated and wrote the Review and J.R.R., D.J.C., F.W.H., P.J.H., K.D.L., C.L.W. and E.A.M. contributed ideas and edited the manuscript.

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Rohr, J.R., Civitello, D.J., Halliday, F.W. et al. Towards common ground in the biodiversity–disease debate. Nat Ecol Evol 4, 24–33 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41559-019-1060-6

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