BioRodDis: Managing biodiversity in forests and urban green spaces. Dilution and amplification effects of rodent microbiome and rodent-borne diseases.

Our project aims at elucidating the interlinkages between biodiversity and diseases at local and European scales using standardized assessments of biodiversity and disease risks. This project will address this issue by integrating new key research directions, i.e. host microbiome and multiple pathogen diversity levels on one hand, seasonal and multi-annual dynamics on the other hand, including climate change scenarios, and interactions with socioeconomic contexts. These scientific questions are an essential prerequisite to improve existing modelling of the relationship between biodiversity and diseases, and to develop a framework, which enables to provide predictions with regard to the human and animal health impacts of ecosystem management practices, biological conservation strategies and/or climate changes on human and animal health. As such, these questions must and will be addressed in collaboration with main local and European stakeholders and policy makers. Our results will be disseminated to a larger audience, through a wide array of communication channels, and considering appropriate language and national/socio-professional specificities of the different members of the public targeted.

Keywords:INFECTIONS, BIODIVERSITY, RODENTS

Disciplines:Community ecology, Infectious diseases, Microbiomes