CLIMATE CHANGE COULD MEAN SOME ARTIC ANIMALS WOULD BE MORE VULNERABLE TO DISEASE SPREAD BY INSECTS: RESEARCHER

By Chandrayee Roy Choudhury, Canada: 

A warming climate could mean some Arctic animals will be more vulnerable to parasites and disease-causing pathogens, says a researcher who studies diseases transmitted from insects to animals.

There is increase in temperature as well as changes in precipitation. These two things are very important for insects.

Sometimes, with some viruses in mosquitoes, the warmer the temperatures get, the easier a mosquito can transmit those viruses,So temperature is a very important factor when it comes to insect-borne diseases.

Disease could also be transmitted through contact with infected water on land, or other bacteria-transmitting species such as rodents

Climate change will also affect the vegetation in the North, and therefore the health and size of migratory bird populations.

Main purpose of her research is to help create a baseline of data about disease in Arctic wildlife and to track future changes.