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Copyright © 2013 Ross D. E. MacPhee and Alex D. Greenwood. Ross D. E. MacPhee et al. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Abstract

Infectious disease, especially virulent infectious disease, is commonly regarded as a cause of fluctuation or decline in biological populations. However, it is not generally considered as a primary factor in causing the actual endangerment or extinction of species. We review here the known historical examples in which disease has, or has been assumed to have had, a major deleterious impact on animal species, including extinction, and highlight some recent cases in which disease is the chief suspect in causing the outright endangerment of particular species. We conclude that the role of disease in historical extinctions at the population or species level may have been underestimated. Recent methodological breakthroughs may lead to a better understanding of the past and present roles of infectious disease in influencing population fitness and other parameters.

Details

Title
Infectious Disease, Endangerment, and Extinction
Author
MacPhee, Ross D E; Greenwood, Alex D
Publication year
2013
Publication date
2013
Publisher
Hindawi Limited
ISSN
20908032
e-ISSN
2090052X
Source type
Scholarly Journal
Language of publication
English
ProQuest document ID
1420210296
Copyright
Copyright © 2013 Ross D. E. MacPhee and Alex D. Greenwood. Ross D. E. MacPhee et al. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.