Does life history mediate changing disease risk when communities disassemble?

Area of Science:

• Ecology
• Epidemiology
• Conservation Biology

Background:

• Biodiversity loss is linked to increased disease risk in humans, wildlife, and plants.
• This pattern may arise if resilient host species possess high host competence (ability to acquire and transmit infections).

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess empirical evidence for a link between host competence and extirpation risk.
• To evaluate the impact of this relationship on disease dynamics during community disassembly.
• To explore mechanisms and variability in this covariance.

Main Methods:

• Review of current empirical evidence on host competence and extirpation risk.
• Analysis of disease dynamics in communities undergoing disassembly.
• Stochastic simulation modeling to test hypotheses.

Main Results:

• Evidence supports a covariance between host competence and extirpation risk.
• Mechanisms and variability of this relationship are understudied.
• Weak covariance can explain inconsistent effects of host diversity on disease risk.

Conclusions:

• Understanding the relationship between host competence and extirpation risk is vital for accurate disease ecology predictions.
• Further research is needed to elucidate the mechanisms driving this covariance.
• This knowledge is critical for managing disease risks associated with biodiversity loss.