It’s about time: small mammal communities and Lyme disease emergence
Abstract Theory predicts that biodiversity changes due to climate warming can mediate the rate of disease emergence. The mechanisms linking biodiversity-disease relationships have been described both theoretically and empirically but remain poorly understood. We investigated the relations between ho...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Nature Portfolio
2023-09-01
|
| Series: | Scientific Reports |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-41901-z |
| _version_ | 1797560076545818624 |
|---|---|
| author | V. Millien S. S. T. Leo S. Turney A. Gonzalez |
| author_facet | V. Millien S. S. T. Leo S. Turney A. Gonzalez |
| author_sort | V. Millien |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Theory predicts that biodiversity changes due to climate warming can mediate the rate of disease emergence. The mechanisms linking biodiversity-disease relationships have been described both theoretically and empirically but remain poorly understood. We investigated the relations between host diversity and abundance and Lyme disease risk in southern Quebec, a region where Lyme disease is rapidly emerging. We found that both the abundance of small mammal hosts and the relative abundance of the tick’s natural host, the white-footed mouse (Peromyscus leucopus), influenced measures of disease risk in tick vectors (Borrelia burgdorferi infection abundance and prevalence in tick vectors). Our results suggest that the increase in Lyme disease risk is modulated by regional processes involving the abundance and composition of small mammal assemblages. However, the nature and strength of these relationships was dependent both on time and geographic area. The strong effect of P. leucopus abundance on disease risk we report here is of significant concern, as this competent host is predicted to increase in abundance and occurrence in the region, with the northern shift in the range of North American species under climate warming. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T17:54:19Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-de8bcc904e9f4f7c9abb0cc9a3f78861 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2045-2322 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T17:54:19Z |
| publishDate | 2023-09-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Scientific Reports |
| spelling | doaj.art-de8bcc904e9f4f7c9abb0cc9a3f788612023-11-20T09:15:43ZengNature PortfolioScientific Reports2045-23222023-09-0113111010.1038/s41598-023-41901-zIt’s about time: small mammal communities and Lyme disease emergenceV. Millien0S. S. T. Leo1S. Turney2A. Gonzalez3Redpath Museum, McGill UniversityRedpath Museum, McGill UniversityRedpath Museum, McGill UniversityDepartment of Biology, McGill UniversityAbstract Theory predicts that biodiversity changes due to climate warming can mediate the rate of disease emergence. The mechanisms linking biodiversity-disease relationships have been described both theoretically and empirically but remain poorly understood. We investigated the relations between host diversity and abundance and Lyme disease risk in southern Quebec, a region where Lyme disease is rapidly emerging. We found that both the abundance of small mammal hosts and the relative abundance of the tick’s natural host, the white-footed mouse (Peromyscus leucopus), influenced measures of disease risk in tick vectors (Borrelia burgdorferi infection abundance and prevalence in tick vectors). Our results suggest that the increase in Lyme disease risk is modulated by regional processes involving the abundance and composition of small mammal assemblages. However, the nature and strength of these relationships was dependent both on time and geographic area. The strong effect of P. leucopus abundance on disease risk we report here is of significant concern, as this competent host is predicted to increase in abundance and occurrence in the region, with the northern shift in the range of North American species under climate warming.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-41901-z |
| spellingShingle | V. Millien S. S. T. Leo S. Turney A. Gonzalez It’s about time: small mammal communities and Lyme disease emergence Scientific Reports |
| title | It’s about time: small mammal communities and Lyme disease emergence |
| title_full | It’s about time: small mammal communities and Lyme disease emergence |
| title_fullStr | It’s about time: small mammal communities and Lyme disease emergence |
| title_full_unstemmed | It’s about time: small mammal communities and Lyme disease emergence |
| title_short | It’s about time: small mammal communities and Lyme disease emergence |
| title_sort | it s about time small mammal communities and lyme disease emergence |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-41901-z |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT vmillien itsabouttimesmallmammalcommunitiesandlymediseaseemergence AT sstleo itsabouttimesmallmammalcommunitiesandlymediseaseemergence AT sturney itsabouttimesmallmammalcommunitiesandlymediseaseemergence AT agonzalez itsabouttimesmallmammalcommunitiesandlymediseaseemergence |