Dissertation Enhancement Research: Habitat Fragmentation and the Responses of Hantavirus Host Communities in Panama: A Test of the Dilution Effect Hypothesis

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0241169YatesThis Americas Program thesis enhancement project will support thesis dissertation research by Mr. Gerardo Suzan under the supervision of Dr. Terry L. Yates of the University of New Mexico. The research, in collaboration with the Dr. Armiens Blas of the Instituto Conmemorativo GORGAS in Panama, aims to study the way that changes in natural environments resulting from human activity affect the distribution of the reservoir for Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome and the risk of outbreaks in humans.In its simplest form, the dilution effect hypothesis suggests that high biodiversity reduces the frequency of some rodent-borne diseases. If so, several emerging zoonotic diseases may be related to the loss of biodiversity. Small mammal species richness and distribution in six Panamanian national parks with varying degrees of anthropogenic disturbance and size will be used to test this hypothesis. Preliminary surveys indicate that the lowest species richness was found in human dominated habitats where the hantavirus reservoir in Panama was exclusively collected and point to the conclusion that anthropogenic disturbance favors the hantavirus reservoir distribution, and possibly explains recent outbreaks.This study will establish a database for species distribution among different biomes, identify potential areas of highest disease risk based on the degree of habitat fragmentation, and, ultimately, increase our understanding of rodent reservoir ecology as it relates to anthropogenic activities. The basic conclusions of this project may apply to other vector-borne diseases in different regions of the world. If biodiversity and disease risks are strongly correlated, conservation of natural resources becomes even more important.