Which of the following best explains why habitat destruction can lead to the emergence of new zoonotic diseases?

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BlackTom AI · Accepted Answer

Question restatement: The prompt asks which explanation best accounts for habitat destruction leading to the emergence of new zoonotic diseases.
Option 1: Increased contact between humans and wildlife allows for cross-species pathogen transmission. This is a central mechanism often cited in disease emergence: when habitats are degraded or encroached upon, humans encounter wildlife more frequently, creating opportunities for pathogens to jump species (spillover). This reasoning aligns with zoonotic spillover models and is supported by ecological and epidemiological evidence.
Option 2: Habitat destruction selects for pathogens that have higher environmental stability. While environmental changes can influence pathogen survival, the claim that destruction directly selects for higher environmental stability is not the primary or most consistent mechanism driving emergence. Spillover more directly results from closer contact and disrupted ecosystems rather than selection for environmental persistence alone.
Option 3: Reduced biodiversity leads to an increase in pathogen mutation rates. Biodiversity loss can affect disease dynamics, but the specific claim that it universally increases pathogen mutation rates is not a robust general mechanism explaining emergence. Emergence is more clearly tied to altered host–pathogen interfaces and reservoir dynamics than to mutation rate changes as a universal rule.
Option 4: Fragmented ecosystems force pathogens to evolve lower virulence to survive in stressed hosts. This statement contradicts the broader understanding that pathogens can display a range of virulence strategies depending on context; fragmentation does not inherently drive lower virulence and, in some cases, can facilitate higher virulence or spillover by stressing hosts and increasing contact with humans or other species.
In summary, option 1 directly captures the key driver—increased human–wildlife contact leading to cross-species transmission—while the other options describe mechanisms that are either less central or less consistently supported by current understanding of zoonotic emergence.

ZOOL30004_2025_SM1 Week 4 Quiz - AMR and Virulence

Which of the following best explains why habitat destruction can lead to the emergence of new zoonotic diseases?

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