Current unprecedented declines in biodiversity reduce the ability of ecological communities
to provide many fundamental ecosystem services. Here we evaluate evidence that reduced …

The dynamics of infectious diseases can be affected by genetic diversity within host
populations, species diversity within host communities, and diversity among communities. In …

Parasites and infectious diseases are everywhere and represent some of the most potent
forces shaping the natural world. They affect almost every aspect imaginable in the life of …

Human activities have increased the availability of nutrients in terrestrial and aquatic
ecosystems. In grasslands, this eutrophication causes loss of plant species diversity, but the …

Pollinator reductions can leave communities less diverse and potentially at increased risk of
infectious diseases. Species-rich plant and bee communities have high species turnover …

The twin concepts of zooprophylaxis and the dilution effect originated with vector-borne
diseases (malaria), were driven forward by studies on Lyme borreliosis and have now …

Growing interest in ecology has recently focused on the hypothesis that community diversity
can mediate infection levels and disease ('dilution effect'). In turn, biodiversity loss—a …

Interactions involving several parasite species (multi-parasitized hosts) or several host
species (multi-host parasites) are the rule in nature. Only a few studies have investigated …

Vectors of infectious diseases are generally thought to be regulated by abiotic conditions
such as climate or the availability of specific hosts or habitats. In this study we tested whether …

While the importance of changes in host biodiversity for disease risk continues to gain
empirical support, the influence of natural variation in parasite diversity on epidemiological …