Does biodiversity protect humans against infectious disease

摘要: Control of human infectious disease has been promoted as a valuable ecosystem service arising from the conservation biodiversity. There are two commonly discussed mechanisms by which biodiversity loss could increase rates in landscape. First, competitors or predators facilitate an abundance competent reservoir hosts. Second, disproportionately affect non-competent, less hosts, would otherwise interfere with pathogen transmission to populations by, for example, wasting bites infected vectors. A negative association between and risk, sometimes called "dilution effect hypothesis," supported few agents, suggests exciting win-win outcome environment society, become pervasive topic ecology literature. Case studies have assembled argue that dilution is general across agents. Less touted examples elevated does not increases risk pathogens public health concern. In order assess likely generality effect, we review broad variety Overall, hypothesize conditions unlikely be met most important diseases humans. Biodiversity probably little net on but, when it observation basic logic suggest will more than decrease risk.