Essay Natural Science Outline: Biodiversity and disease transmission

Essay Natural Science Outline
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Biodiversity and disease transmission
There is concern that the declines in biodiversity might have unintended consequences on the environment and ecological communities. The ecosystem services are not to be ignored as they may affect the transmission rates of diseases to animals, humans and plants. The increase in the number of host species carrying pathogens is likely to increase the risk of infectious disease. On the contrary, the loss in biodiversity may reduce transmission of disease. Even with better technological innovations and progress in preventing and eliminating infectious diseases, new strains and pathogens still pose a challenge to controlling the prevalence of such diseases. Knowledge in ecology and epidemiology is potentially useful to implement adequate disease control initiatives. Genomics helps in understanding infectious agents, effective disease control requires understanding pathogen transmission and the parasite-hose interactions.
Problem of diminishing Biodiversity
Biodiversity increases the flora and fauna in an ecosystem
Species rich environments are potentially high risk areas that increase the risk of infection risk.
However, disturbed environments have low biodiversity and this may increase the transmission of disease, if there is a loss in buffering for the spread of diseases affecting plants and animals
Species that survive when there is less biodiversity become more dominant and effective in transmitting diseases, especially in the case of malaria transmitting diseases.
Ecosystems affected
Ecosystems are complex and when healthy they are sustainable, and this may affect the distribution of diseases and impact on human health.
The dilution effect has been proposed as the mechanism through which high biodiversity in an ecosystem reduces risk of transmitting infections.
Generalist species have the ability to adapt to different habitats, but the specialist species survive in narrowly defined habitats.
Hence, the disturbance of ecosystems affects the specialist species more, since opportunistic species can adapt and thrive under resource and food competition.
Association between biodiversity and disease transmission
One possible explanation for differences in disease transmission when there is less biodiversity is that with fewer species the chances of encounter between pathogens and virus is low.
Disturbing the environment while ignoring the impact on the biodiversity has unintended consequences and may result in loss of one species.
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