@article{fdi:010066081,
  title = {{A}n equilibrium theory signature in the island biogeography of human parasites and pathogens},
  author = {{J}ean, {K}. and {B}urnside, {W}. {R}. and {C}arlson, {L}. and {S}mith, {K}. and {G}u{\'e}gan, {J}ean-{F}ran{\c{c}}ois},
  editor = {},
  language = {{ENG}},
  abstract = {{A}im {O}ur understanding of the ecology and biogeography of microbes, including those that cause human disease, lags behind that for larger species. {D}espite recent focus on the geographical distribution of viruses and bacteria, the overall environmental distribution of human pathogens and parasites on {E}arth remains incompletely understood. {A}s islands have long inspired basic ecological insights, we aimed to assess whether the microorganisms that cause human disease in modern times follow patterns common to insular plants and animals. {L}ocation {G}lobal and regional. {M}ethods {R}elying on the publically accessible {GIDEON} database, we use the spatial distribution of nearly 300 human parasites and pathogens across 66 island countries and territories to assess the current predictive value of the 'equilibrium theory' of island biogeography. {T}he relationships between species richness and (1) island surface area and (2) distance to the nearest mainland were investigated with linear regression, and {ANCOVA}s were used to test for differences in these relationships with respect to pathogen ecology and taxonomy. {R}esults {P}athogen species richness increases with island surface area and decreases with distance to the nearest mainland. {T}he effect of area is more than 10 times lower than that usually reported for macroorganisms, but is greater than the effect of distance. {T}he strongest relationships are for pathogens that are vector-borne, zoonotic (with humans as dead-end hosts) or protozoan. {M}ain conclusion {O}ur results support the basic predictions of the theory: disease diversity is a positive function of island area and a negative function of island isolation. {H}owever, differences in the effects of area, distance and pathogen ecology suggest that globalization, probably through human travel and the animal trade, has softened these relationships. {P}arasites that primarily target non-human species, whose distributions are more constrained by island life than are those restricted to human hosts, drive the island biogeography of human disease.},
  keywords = {{D}isease ecology ; human ; infectious diseases ; island biogeography ; pathogen diversity ; species-area relationship ; {CARAIBE} ; {PACIFIQUE}},
  booktitle = {},
  journal = {{G}lobal {E}cology and {B}iogeography},
  volume = {25},
  numero = {1},
  pages = {107--116},
  ISSN = {1466-822{X}},
  year = {2016},
  DOI = {10.1111/geb.12393},
  URL = {https://www.documentation.ird.fr/hor/fdi:010066081},
}