Xu, Y., Laine, [ ..] Santangeli, A., [...], Lehikoinen, A. 2024 Slow-lived birds and bats carry higher pathogen loads. One Earth, 7, 1–12. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.oneear.2024.04.021.
In a shell: The study investigates how species traits and local climate factors identify pathogen reservoir hosts among birds and bats in Europe. Species with slower life paces, sedentary habits, and forest habitats show high pathogen prevalence, with temperature being a crucial predictor.
Summary: Wildlife
and zoonotic diseases are increasingly impacting human society, the
food chain, and wildlife; therefore, proactive mitigation tools for
predicting large-scale risk of the relevant pathogens are urgently
needed. Birds and bats are large-scale disease reservoirs and
transmitters. However, holistic understanding for which bird and bat
species act as reservoirs for pathogens remains understudied. Here, we
test the extent to which the features related to the mobile species and
local climate identify reservoir hosts for the 18 most-sampled pathogens
across Europe. Species with slower pace of life (i.e., larger bodied
and longer lived), sedentary species, and forest species had high
pathogen prevalence. Temperature was the most important predictor for
pathogen prevalence, but its effects varied in different directions.
Overall, host species traits and climatic gradients robustly predicted
pathogen prevalence, especially for non-vector-transmitted pathogens. We
offer a data-driven basis for developing targeted interventions to
mitigate impacts of zoonotic diseases, particularly in the face of
climate change.
