Forest Connectivity, Host Assemblage Characteristics of Local and Neighboring Counties, and Temperature Jointly Shape the Spatial Expansion of Lyme Disease in United States
Understanding risk factors for the spread of infectious diseases over time and across the landscape is critical for managing disease risk. While habitat connectivity and characteristics of local and neighboring animal (i.e., host) assemblages are known to influence the spread of diseases, the intera...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2019-10-01
|
| Series: | Remote Sensing |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/11/20/2354 |
| _version_ | 1831691499146838016 |
|---|---|
| author | Yingying X. G. Wang Kevin D. Matson Yanjie Xu Herbert H. T. Prins Zheng Y. X. Huang Willem F. de Boer |
| author_facet | Yingying X. G. Wang Kevin D. Matson Yanjie Xu Herbert H. T. Prins Zheng Y. X. Huang Willem F. de Boer |
| author_sort | Yingying X. G. Wang |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Understanding risk factors for the spread of infectious diseases over time and across the landscape is critical for managing disease risk. While habitat connectivity and characteristics of local and neighboring animal (i.e., host) assemblages are known to influence the spread of diseases, the interactions among these factors remain poorly understood. In this study, we conducted a county-level analysis to test the effects of forest connectivity, together with the suitability of local assemblage (measured by the similarity of local host assemblage with neighboring assemblages) and the infection intensity of neighboring counties on the spatial expansion of Lyme disease in the United States. Our results suggested that both the similarity of local host assemblage and the infection intensity of neighboring counties were positively correlated with the probability of disease spread. Moreover, we found that increasing forest connectivity could facilitate the positive effect of neighbor infection intensity. In contrast, the effect size of the host assemblage similarity decreased with increasing connectivity, suggesting that host assemblage similarity was less effective in well-connected habitats. Our results thus indicate that habitat connectivity can indirectly influence disease spread by mediating the effects of other risk factors. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-20T11:32:00Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-a724fbcdf810440983f5fc309235d61c |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2072-4292 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-20T11:32:00Z |
| publishDate | 2019-10-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Remote Sensing |
| spelling | doaj.art-a724fbcdf810440983f5fc309235d61c2022-12-21T19:42:14ZengMDPI AGRemote Sensing2072-42922019-10-011120235410.3390/rs11202354rs11202354Forest Connectivity, Host Assemblage Characteristics of Local and Neighboring Counties, and Temperature Jointly Shape the Spatial Expansion of Lyme Disease in United StatesYingying X. G. Wang0Kevin D. Matson1Yanjie Xu2Herbert H. T. Prins3Zheng Y. X. Huang4Willem F. de Boer5College of Life Sciences, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing 210046, ChinaResource Ecology Group, Wageningen University, 6708PB Wageningen, The NetherlandsResource Ecology Group, Wageningen University, 6708PB Wageningen, The NetherlandsResource Ecology Group, Wageningen University, 6708PB Wageningen, The NetherlandsCollege of Life Sciences, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing 210046, ChinaResource Ecology Group, Wageningen University, 6708PB Wageningen, The NetherlandsUnderstanding risk factors for the spread of infectious diseases over time and across the landscape is critical for managing disease risk. While habitat connectivity and characteristics of local and neighboring animal (i.e., host) assemblages are known to influence the spread of diseases, the interactions among these factors remain poorly understood. In this study, we conducted a county-level analysis to test the effects of forest connectivity, together with the suitability of local assemblage (measured by the similarity of local host assemblage with neighboring assemblages) and the infection intensity of neighboring counties on the spatial expansion of Lyme disease in the United States. Our results suggested that both the similarity of local host assemblage and the infection intensity of neighboring counties were positively correlated with the probability of disease spread. Moreover, we found that increasing forest connectivity could facilitate the positive effect of neighbor infection intensity. In contrast, the effect size of the host assemblage similarity decreased with increasing connectivity, suggesting that host assemblage similarity was less effective in well-connected habitats. Our results thus indicate that habitat connectivity can indirectly influence disease spread by mediating the effects of other risk factors.https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/11/20/2354disease spreadforest coverassemblage similarityhost assemblage compositioninfection intensity |
| spellingShingle | Yingying X. G. Wang Kevin D. Matson Yanjie Xu Herbert H. T. Prins Zheng Y. X. Huang Willem F. de Boer Forest Connectivity, Host Assemblage Characteristics of Local and Neighboring Counties, and Temperature Jointly Shape the Spatial Expansion of Lyme Disease in United States Remote Sensing disease spread forest cover assemblage similarity host assemblage composition infection intensity |
| title | Forest Connectivity, Host Assemblage Characteristics of Local and Neighboring Counties, and Temperature Jointly Shape the Spatial Expansion of Lyme Disease in United States |
| title_full | Forest Connectivity, Host Assemblage Characteristics of Local and Neighboring Counties, and Temperature Jointly Shape the Spatial Expansion of Lyme Disease in United States |
| title_fullStr | Forest Connectivity, Host Assemblage Characteristics of Local and Neighboring Counties, and Temperature Jointly Shape the Spatial Expansion of Lyme Disease in United States |
| title_full_unstemmed | Forest Connectivity, Host Assemblage Characteristics of Local and Neighboring Counties, and Temperature Jointly Shape the Spatial Expansion of Lyme Disease in United States |
| title_short | Forest Connectivity, Host Assemblage Characteristics of Local and Neighboring Counties, and Temperature Jointly Shape the Spatial Expansion of Lyme Disease in United States |
| title_sort | forest connectivity host assemblage characteristics of local and neighboring counties and temperature jointly shape the spatial expansion of lyme disease in united states |
| topic | disease spread forest cover assemblage similarity host assemblage composition infection intensity |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/11/20/2354 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT yingyingxgwang forestconnectivityhostassemblagecharacteristicsoflocalandneighboringcountiesandtemperaturejointlyshapethespatialexpansionoflymediseaseinunitedstates AT kevindmatson forestconnectivityhostassemblagecharacteristicsoflocalandneighboringcountiesandtemperaturejointlyshapethespatialexpansionoflymediseaseinunitedstates AT yanjiexu forestconnectivityhostassemblagecharacteristicsoflocalandneighboringcountiesandtemperaturejointlyshapethespatialexpansionoflymediseaseinunitedstates AT herberthtprins forestconnectivityhostassemblagecharacteristicsoflocalandneighboringcountiesandtemperaturejointlyshapethespatialexpansionoflymediseaseinunitedstates AT zhengyxhuang forestconnectivityhostassemblagecharacteristicsoflocalandneighboringcountiesandtemperaturejointlyshapethespatialexpansionoflymediseaseinunitedstates AT willemfdeboer forestconnectivityhostassemblagecharacteristicsoflocalandneighboringcountiesandtemperaturejointlyshapethespatialexpansionoflymediseaseinunitedstates |