Authors
Brian F. Allan, Washington University, One Brookings Drive, Campus Box 1137, Saint Louis, MO
R. Brian Langerhans, Museum of Comparative Zoology, Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, 26 Oxford Street, Cambridge, MA
Wade A. Ryberg, Washington University, One Brookings Drive, Campus Box 1137, Saint Louis, MO
William J. Landesman, Rutgers University, 14 College Farm Road, New Brunswick, NJ 08901, USA
Nicholas W. Griffin, Washington University, One Brookings Drive, Campus Box 1137, Saint Louis, MO
Rachael S. Katz, North Carolina State University, 840 Method Road, Unit One, Raleigh, NC
Brad J. Oberle, Washington University, One Brookings Drive, Campus Box 1137, Saint Louis, MO
Michele R. Schutzenhofer, Division of Science and Mathematics, McKendree University, 701 College Road, Lebanon, IL
Kristina N. Smyth, Department of Biology, Saint Louis University, 3507 Laclede Avenue, Saint Louis, MO
Annabelle de St. Maurice, University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, 601 Elmwood Avenue, Rochester, NY
Larry Clark, United States Department of Agriculture, National Wildlife Research Center, 4101 La Porte Avenue, Fort Collins, CO
Kevin R. Crooks, Department of Fishery and Wildlife Biology, Colorado State University, 115 Wagar, Fort Collins, CO
Daniel E. Hernandez, Division of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, The Richard Stockton College of New Jersey, PO Box 195, Pomona, NJ
Robert G. McLean, United States Department of Agriculture, National Wildlife Research Center, 4101 La Porte Avenue, Fort Collins, CO
Richard S. Ostfeld, Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies, 65 Sharon Turnpike, Millbrook, NY
Jonathan M. Chase, Washington University, One Brookings Drive, Campus Box 1137, Saint Louis, MO
Date of this Version
2009
Abstract
West Nile virus, which was recently introduced to North America, is a mosquito-borne pathogen that infects a wide range of vertebrate hosts, including humans. Several species of birds appear to be the primary reservoir hosts, whereas other bird species, as well as other vertebrate species, can be infected but are less competent reservoirs. One hypothesis regarding the transmission dynamics of West Nile virus suggests that high bird diversity reduces West Nile virus transmission because mosquito blood-meals are distributed across a wide range of bird species, many of which have low reservoir competence. One mechanism by which this hypothesis can operate is that high-diversity bird communities might have lower community-competence, defined as the sum of the product of each species’ abundance and its reservoir competence index value. Additional hypotheses posit that West Nile virus transmission will be reduced when either: (1) abundance of mosquito vectors is low; or (2) human population density is low. We assessed these hypotheses at two spatial scales: a regional scale near Saint Louis, MO, and a national scale (continental USA). We found that prevalence of West Nile virus infection in mosquito vectors and in humans increased with decreasing bird diversity and with increasing reservoir competence of the bird community. Our results suggest that conservation of avian diversity might help ameliorate the current West Nile virus epidemic in the USA.
Comments
Published in Oecologia (2009) 158:699–708.