Studying urban movements of an avian model species to understand the role of biodiversity for the spread of zoonoses. (Zoonoses and Urban Movement Bird Biodiversity Assessment)

Human population in cities is expected to increase globally by 1 billion before the end of the current decade leading to a 1.2-1.8 million km2 expansion of urban areas. The planning of natural environments in cities is essential to provide a broad array of ecosystem services like mitigation of extreme weather events, clean air, and recreational opportunities. However, these benefits need to be considered together with the possible costs that may arise due to increased possibilities of human-wildlife conflicts such as those caused by the spread of zoonotic diseases. Tick-borne diseases such as Lyme disease, Mediterranean spotted fever, Q fever, and Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever are major health problems forecasted to become increasingly important in Europe in the next future and require close monitoring. Birds are an effective and fast means of transport for thicks and can facilitate the spread of diseases. Most available researches sample ticks from birds and other wildlife to asses the presence absence of pathologies in natural habitats, or use spatial modeling to forecast the distribution of diseases based on bioclimatic variables. However, studies that directly trace the role of birds movements in urban areas to define gradients of risks for the local population are lacking. Additionally, it remains controversial whether higher biodiversity, by strengthening ecosystem stability and creating a dilution effect, decreases the risk of zoonosis spreading, or whether higher biodiversity may actually enhance and propel the diffusion of pathogens. The current proposal aims at testing 1) if emerging tick borne diseases are present in Spanish cities of different sizes (Barcelona, Valencia, Toledo), 2) if the movement of Parus major, a non migratory species of bird can be used to trace the distribution and spread of of tick born diseases within urban areas, 3) if the distribution and occurrence of tick born diseases covary with the levels of local biodiversity.