2024-09-05 18:00:00
INTRODUCTION – The virtual disappearance of these animals in many areas seems to have benefited insect populations, with an obvious indirect effect on human health.
A decline in biodiversity has devastating effects that are difficult to measure scientifically. But it happens that a natural phenomenon gives an opportunity to measure its magnitude. This is what happened in 2006 in the eastern part of the United States, when a disease caused by a virus led to a sudden death among bats.
In a study published Thursday by the magazine Knowledge, An American economist examines the repercussions of this phenomenon, noting that it includes not only an increase in the use of agricultural pesticides in the American regions affected by the reduction of livestock, but also by a dramatic increase in infant mortality. « This result illustrates the economic and social costs that the disruption of the ecosystem can cause. »concluded Eyal Frank, a researcher associated with the University of Chicago.
Voracious insectivores
After its appearance in New York State, “white nose disease”…
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