Managing biodiversity in forests and urban green spaces : Dilution and amplification effects on rodent microbiomes and rodent-borne diseases

• Applicant: Professorin Dr. Jana Eccard
• Subject Area: Ecology and Biodiversity of Plants and Ecosystems ; Ecology and Biodiversity of Animals and Ecosystems, Organismic Interactions ; Parasitology and Biology of Tropical Infectious Disease Pathogens ; Virology
• Term: from 2019 to 2023
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 428675001

Our project aims at elucidating the relationship between biodiversity and diseases by integrating recently emphasized key research directions: influence of seasonal and multi-annual dynamics, and the simultaneous consideration of host, microbiome and multiple pathogen diversity levels. We will focus on dynamics of rodent-borne diseases in European temperate forests and urban green spaces. Rodents have long been recognized as important reservoirs of zoonotic agents; forests and green spaces are environments where rodents are abundant, human/domestic-wildlife interactions are plausible to occur, and efforts are undertaken to preserve biodiversity.Using small mammal sampling and large pathogen and microbiome community investigation, we will establish an up-to-date, open, comprehensive database of rodent-borne pathogens circulating in western-central European countries. Eco-epidemiological approaches will enhance our understanding of microbial interactions and the processes that influence pathogen transmission in rodent populations.Besides, we will develop mathematical models based on our data to analyse the influence of spatiotemporal scales as well as pathogen/microbiome interactions on the relationships between biodiversity and diseases. Effects of landscape metrics, such as connectivity and size of forest fragments will also be modelled. The aim is to forecast what could be the impact of biological conservation strategies on epidemiological patterns of zoonotic pathogens outbreaks.Throughout the project, sociologists will be at the core of partners interactions to help them establishing transdisciplinary collaborations with relevant stakeholders and designing effective knowledge exchanges with these latter. Resulting data will be used to improve disease prevention policies by working on biodiversity management strategies as well as desease prevention, which often had incongruent methods and aims, including surveillance, training and awareness campaigns with active participation of all stakeholders. Overall, this project will provide proof-of-concept that joint strategies between public health and conservation biology programs can help to prevent emergence of zoonotic pathogens.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants
• International Connection: Belgium, France, Ireland, Poland
• Partner Organisation: Agence Nationale de la Recherche / The French National Research Agency; Fonds Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek - Vlaanderen ; Research Foundation Flanders (FWO); Narodowe Centrum Nauki (NCN); epa - Environmental Protection Agency
• Co-Investigators: Dr. Christian Imholt; Dr. Jens Jacob
• Cooperation Partners: Dr. Isabelle Arpin; Dr. Nathalie Charbonnel; Dr. Maciej Grzybek; Professor Dr. Herwig Leirs; Dr. Benjamin Roche; Dr. Peter Stuart