scholarly journals Deforestation-driven food-web collapse linked to emerging tropical infectious disease,Mycobacterium ulcerans

2016 ◽  
Vol 2 (12) ◽  
pp. e1600387 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aaron L. Morris ◽  
Jean-François Guégan ◽  
Demetra Andreou ◽  
Laurent Marsollier ◽  
Kevin Carolan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Food Web ◽  
Disease Risk ◽  
Risk Estimation ◽  
Emerging Infectious Diseases ◽  
Bacterial Pathogen ◽  
Life Cycles ◽  
Mycobacterium Ulcerans ◽  
Tropical Rain Forests ◽  
Rapid Urbanization

Generalist microorganisms are the agents of many emerging infectious diseases (EIDs), but their natural life cycles are difficult to predict due to the multiplicity of potential hosts and environmental reservoirs. Among 250 known human EIDs, many have been traced to tropical rain forests and specifically freshwater aquatic systems, which act as an interface between microbe-rich sediments or substrates and terrestrial habitats. Along with the rapid urbanization of developing countries, population encroachment, deforestation, and land-use modifications are expected to increase the risk of EID outbreaks. We show that the freshwater food-web collapse driven by land-use change has a nonlinear effect on the abundance of preferential hosts of a generalist bacterial pathogen,Mycobacterium ulcerans. This leads to an increase of the pathogen within systems at certain levels of environmental disturbance. The complex link between aquatic, terrestrial, and EID processes highlights the potential importance of species community composition and structure and species life history traits in disease risk estimation and mapping. Mechanisms such as the one shown here are also central in predicting how human-induced environmental change, for example, deforestation and changes in land use, may drive emergence.

scholarly journals The Effects of a Complex Trophic Structure of Mammalian Host Species on the Ecology of Emerging Infectious Diseases

2011 ◽  
Vol 34 ◽  
pp. 85-95
Author(s):  
Leticia Gutierrez ◽  
Robert Ricklefs
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Infectious Diseases ◽  
Host Species ◽  
Vegetation Cover ◽  
Disease Risk ◽  
Emerging Infectious Diseases ◽  
Blood Parasites ◽  
Mammalian Host ◽  
Large Herbivores ◽  
Blood Samples

Wildlife-parasite interactions among both ectoparasites and haemoparasites and their hosts are not well known among North American mammals, particularly in the case of relatively intact and complex communities of mammals that include top-level predators, large herbivores and a wide variety of rodent species. Understanding the distribution of haemoparasites among potential mammalian hosts can indicate links between hosts, biological vectors, disease agents, and human disease risk. This study examines the role and effects of a complex community of mammalian host species in maintaining the overall health of the ecosystem. Thereby, it explores the indirect and direct effects of wildlife in preventing the emergence of human infectious diseases depending upon land-use change/vegetation cover and host species richness. Rodents were captured and screened for blood parasites and ectoparasites in spring and summer 2011 within Grand Teton National Park (Figure 1). Sites were chosen by land-use /vegetation cover. Small blood samples from trapped individuals were collected and kept in lysis buffer/FTA cards. All the animals were released unharmed after blood sampling and ectoparasite collection. Collaborative efforts lead to collection of blood/tick samples from large predators, mesocarnivores and ungulates. Parasite DNA isolated from mammalian blood samples is being analyzed using the polymerase chain reaction and reverse line blot. DNA sequencing will be carried out to identify Plasmodium, Rickettsia Babesia, Borrelia, Ehrlichia, Hepatozoon, Anaplasma, and Theileria haemoparasites in the blood and in tick/flea samples.

Land-use types shape soil microbial compositions under rapid urbanization in the Xiong'an New Area, China

2021 ◽  
Vol 777 ◽  
pp. 145976
Author(s):  
Can Wang ◽  
Abolfazl Masoudi ◽  
Min Wang ◽  
Jia Yang ◽  
Zhijun Yu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Rapid Urbanization ◽  
Soil Microbial ◽  
Land Use Types

scholarly journals Sources of and Control Measures for PTE Pollution in Soil at the Urban Fringe in Weinan, China

Land ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (7) ◽  
pp. 762
Author(s):  
Lei Han ◽  
Rui Chen ◽  
Zhao Liu ◽  
Shanshan Chang ◽  
Yonghua Zhao ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Urban Expansion ◽  
Pollution Sources ◽  
Urban Fringe ◽  
Control Measures ◽  
Atomic Fluorescence Spectrometry ◽  
Human Beings ◽  
Rapid Urbanization ◽  
Kriging Interpolation Method ◽  
The Impact

The environment of the urban fringe is complex and frangible. With the acceleration of industrialization and urbanization, the urban fringe has become the primary space for urban expansion, and the intense human activities create a high risk of potentially toxic element (PTE) pollution in the soil. In this study, 138 surface soil samples were collected from a region undergoing rapid urbanization and construction—Weinan, China. Concentrations of As, Pb, Cr, Cu, and Ni (Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry, ICP-MS) and Hg (Atomic Fluorescence Spectrometry, AFS) were measured. The Kriging interpolation method was used to create a visualization of the spatial distribution characteristics and to analyze the pollution sources of PTEs in the soil. The pollution status of PTEs in the soil was evaluated using the national environmental quality standards for soils in different types of land use. The results show that the content range of As fluctuated a small amount and the coefficient of variation is small and mainly comes from natural soil formation. The content of Cr, Cu, and Ni around the automobile repair factory, the prefabrication factory, and the building material factory increased due to the deposition of wear particles in the soil. A total of 13.99% of the land in the study area had Hg pollution, which was mainly distributed on category 1 development land and farmland. Chemical plants were the main pollution sources. The study area should strictly control the industrial pollution emissions, regulate the agricultural production, adjust the land use planning, and reduce the impact of pollution on human beings. Furthermore, we make targeted remediation suggestions for each specific land use type. These results are of theoretical significance, will be of practical value for the control of PTEs in soil, and will provide ecological environmental protection in the urban fringe throughout the urbanization process.

scholarly journals Spatiotemporal Influence of Land Use/Land Cover Change Dynamics on Surface Urban Heat Island: A Case Study of Abuja Metropolis, Nigeria

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (5) ◽  
pp. 272
Author(s):  
Auwalu Faisal Koko ◽  
Wu Yue ◽  
Ghali Abdullahi Abubakar ◽  
Akram Ahmed Noman Alabsi ◽  
Roknisadeh Hamed
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Land Cover ◽  
Land Surface ◽  
Urban Expansion ◽  
Urban Heat Islands ◽  
Sustainable Land Use ◽  
Land Use Land Cover ◽  
Urban Centers ◽  
Rapid Urbanization ◽  
Urban Heat

Rapid urbanization in cities and urban centers has recently contributed to notable land use/land cover (LULC) changes, affecting both the climate and environment. Therefore, this study seeks to analyze changes in LULC and its spatiotemporal influence on the surface urban heat islands (UHI) in Abuja metropolis, Nigeria. To achieve this, we employed Multi-temporal Landsat data to monitor the study area’s LULC pattern and land surface temperature (LST) over the last 29 years. The study then analyzed the relationship between LULC, LST, and other vital spectral indices comprising NDVI and NDBI using correlation analysis. The results revealed a significant urban expansion with the transformation of 358.3 sq. km of natural surface into built-up areas. It further showed a considerable increase in the mean LST of Abuja metropolis from 30.65 °C in 1990 to 32.69 °C in 2019, with a notable increase of 2.53 °C between 2009 and 2019. The results also indicated an inverse relationship between LST and NDVI and a positive connection between LST and NDBI. This implies that urban expansion and vegetation decrease influences the development of surface UHI through increased LST. Therefore, the study’s findings will significantly help urban-planners and decision-makers implement sustainable land-use strategies and management for the city.

scholarly journals Elevated Risk of Ecological Land and Underlying Factors Associated with Rapid Urbanization and Overprotected Agriculture in Northeast China

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (22) ◽  
pp. 6203 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shuhan Liu ◽  
Dongyan Wang ◽  
Guoping Lei ◽  
Hong Li ◽  
Wenbo Li
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Urban Expansion ◽  
Black Soil ◽  
Residential Area ◽  
Risk Level ◽  
Ecological Value ◽  
Urbanization Process ◽  
Rapid Urbanization ◽  
Important Indicator ◽  
Farming Area

Ecological land with considerable ecological value can be regarded as an important indicator in guaranteeing ecosystem function and sustainable development. Generally, the urbanization process has been considered to be the primary factor affecting ecological land use. However, the influence of agricultural development, particularly in a typical farming area, has rarely been studied. In this paper, we present a method to assess the ecological risk of ecological land (ELER) in a black soil area in northeastern China. Furthermore, the underlying factors were detected using the geographically weighted regression model, which took into account conditions of natural elements, the urbanization process, and grain production conditions. The results indicate that ecological land experienced remarkable changes with an evident loss and decline from 1996–2015. The ELER progressively increased in the concentrated farming area and the western agro-pastoral ecotone, and the ecological land in the eastern forest area was always at a high risk level. According to the regression coefficients, the relationships between influence factors and ELER could be better explained by the variables of elevation, slope, proportion of rural residential area, and ratio of cultivated land area to residential area. To summarize, agricultural occupation and urban expansion were verified as the two main causes of ecological land loss, as well as elevated risks. In light of the current situation, measures such as policy adjustment and ecological restoration should be taken to avoid risk and optimize land use.

scholarly journals What is the significance of end-stage renal disease risk estimation in living kidney donors?

2017 ◽  
Vol 30 (8) ◽  
pp. 799-806 ◽  
Author(s):  
François Gaillard ◽  
Stéphanie Baron ◽  
Marc-Olivier Timsit ◽  
Dominique Eladari ◽  
Catherine Fournier ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Renal Disease ◽  
End Stage Renal Disease ◽  
Disease Risk ◽  
Risk Estimation ◽  
Kidney Donors ◽  
Living Kidney Donors ◽  
Stage Renal Disease ◽  
End Stage

scholarly journals Satellite Imaging and Long-Term Mosquito Surveillance Implicate the Influence of Rapid Urbanization on Culex Vector Populations

Insects ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (9) ◽  
pp. 269
Author(s):  
Eleanor N. Field ◽  
Ryan E. Tokarz ◽  
Ryan C. Smith
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Disease Transmission ◽  
Culex Pipiens ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Mosquito Species ◽  
Land Use Changes ◽  
Mosquito Vector ◽  
Rapid Urbanization ◽  
Mosquito Surveillance

The ecology and environmental conditions of a habitat have profound influences on mosquito population abundance. As a result, mosquito species vary in their associations with particular habitat types, yet long-term studies showing how mosquito populations shift in a changing ecological landscape are lacking. To better understand how land use changes influence mosquito populations, we examined mosquito surveillance data over a thirty-four-year period for two contrasting sites in central Iowa. One site displayed increasing levels of urbanization over time and a dramatic decline in Culex pipiens group (an informal grouping of Culex restuans, Culex pipiens, and Culex salinarius, referred to as CPG), the primary vectors of West Nile virus in central Iowa. Similar effects were also shown for other mosquito vector populations, yet the abundance of Aedes vexans remained constant during the study period. This is in contrast to a second site, which reflected an established urban landscape. At this location, there were no significant changes in land use and CPG populations remained constant. Climate data (temperature, total precipitation) were compiled for each location to see if these changes could account for altered population dynamics, but neither significantly influence CPG abundance at the respective site locations. Taken together, our data suggest that increased landscape development can have negative impacts on Culex vector populations, and we argue that long-term surveillance paired with satellite imagery analysis are useful methods for measuring the impacts of rapid human development on mosquito vector communities. As a result, we believe that land use changes can have important implications for mosquito management practices, population modeling, and disease transmission dynamics.

scholarly journals Spatio-Temporal Reorganization of Cropland Development in Central Asia during the Post-Soviet Era: A Sustainable Implication in Kazakhstan

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (11) ◽  
pp. 4042 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wei Wei ◽  
Yuanjun Zhu ◽  
Hao Li ◽  
Kebin Zhang ◽  
Baitian Wang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Food Security ◽  
Soviet Union ◽  
Policy Making ◽  
Security Policy ◽  
National Level ◽  
European Space Agency ◽  
Sustainable Land Use ◽  
Rapid Urbanization ◽  
Spatio Temporal

The abandonment and cultivation of croplands in the Eurasian Steppe has become the focus of global and regional food security and agricultural policy-making. A large area of cropland in some post-Soviet countries has proven to be abandoned with the disintegration of the Soviet Union; however, it is unclear as to whether Kazakhstan also experienced a similar change as one of the main food providers for the former Soviet Union. In this study, we used the annual land cover dataset (1992–2015) from the European Space Agency, Climate Change Initiative (ESA-CCI) to detect spatio-temporal characteristics of rainfed and irrigated cropland changes in Kazakhstan. The Mann–Kendall test and regime shift analysis showed that rainfed and irrigated cropland at national level had a significant increasing trend with a significant rising up to 1999 and stagnation during 2000–2015, which was further confirmed with analysis at 14 regions. The greatest contributor to rainfed and irrigated croplands was steppes, followed by shrinkage of water bodies since 2005 to a great extent, rapid urbanization process resulted in losses of a part of irrigated oases. The trend surface analysis indicated that reorganized stable pattern characterized by rainfed cropland in north and irrigated cropland in south was driven by the strategy of the gradual agricultural development of oases. The nonexistence of cycle between the abandonment and recultivation proved that newly-gained cropland from steppe may be less degraded and more productive for sustainable land use in Kazakhstan. In conclusion, this study can provide strong evidence for sustainable land use and a basis for food security policy-making in Kazakhstan, and even all of the Central Asian countries in the future.

A Review of Adverse Effects of Road Traffic Noise on Human Health

2018 ◽  
Vol 17 (01) ◽  
pp. 1830001 ◽  
Author(s):  
Devi Singh ◽  
Neeraj Kumari ◽  
Pooja Sharma
Keyword(s):  
Human Health ◽  
Work Performance ◽  
Road Traffic ◽  
Disease Risk ◽  
Traffic Noise ◽  
Cardiovascular Disease Risk ◽  
Noise Pollution ◽  
Health Hazards ◽  
Road Traffic Noise ◽  
Rapid Urbanization

Noise pollution due to road traffic is a potential threat to human health. Since it is a global hazard, the rapid urbanization and exponential traffic growth have aggravated the problem. Population residing along the busy traffic lanes is continuously exposed to the sound levels which are above the permissible limits. This constant exposure to noise pollution is a cause of concern as it leads to several adverse impacts on human health. Traffic noise causes irritation and annoyance, sleep disturbances, cardiovascular disease, risk of stroke, diabetes, hypertension and loss of hearing. It results in decreased work performance. The present review highlights the serious health hazards of road traffic noise (RTN) which needs to be curbed. Preventive measures of noise pollution can help in combating noise-induced health hazards and increased work performance.

scholarly journals Analysis of complex trophic networks reveals the signature of land-use intensification on soil communities in agroecosystems

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Juliette M. G. Bloor ◽  
Sara Si-Moussi ◽  
Pierre Taberlet ◽  
Pascal Carrère ◽  
Mickaël Hedde
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Food Web ◽  
Agricultural Intensification ◽  
Environmental Dna ◽  
Trophic Group ◽  
Interaction Networks ◽  
Land Use Intensity ◽  
Food Web Structure ◽  
Trophic Networks ◽  
Management Intensity

AbstractIncreasing evidence suggests that agricultural intensification is a threat to many groups of soil biota, but how the impacts of land-use intensity on soil organisms translate into changes in comprehensive soil interaction networks remains unclear. Here for the first time, we use environmental DNA to examine total soil multi-trophic diversity and food web structure for temperate agroecosystems along a gradient of land-use intensity. We tested for response patterns in key properties of the soil food webs in sixteen fields ranging from arable crops to grazed permanent grasslands as part of a long-term management experiment. We found that agricultural intensification drives reductions in trophic group diversity, although taxa richness remained unchanged. Intensification generally reduced the complexity and connectance of soil interaction networks and induced consistent changes in energy pathways, but the magnitude of management-induced changes depended on the variable considered. Average path length (an indicator of food web redundancy and resilience) did not respond to our management intensity gradient. Moreover, turnover of network structure showed little response to increasing management intensity. Our data demonstrates the importance of considering different facets of trophic networks for a clearer understanding of agriculture-biodiversity relationships, with implications for nature-based solutions and sustainable agriculture.

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