8 Major Threats to Biodiversity and Ecosystem

8. Diseases

According to the article Evidence for the Role of Infectious Disease in Species Extinction and Endangerment, infectious disease are contributing factor in less than 4 percents of species that went extinct since 1500 and less than 8 percent of endangered species. Establishing direct correlation between extinction and disease isn’t an easy task and extinction events are usually explained as a result of multiple factors. Recently, scientists have concluded that Darwin’s frogs have died off because of habitat loss and disease known as chytridiomycosis. The disease is caused by Chytrid Fungus which infects 6,000 species worldwide, and which is a global killer of amphibians. Another recently discovered deadly disease is White-nose Syndrome, which have killed 5.5 million North America bats. Among aquatic animals, Whirling disease is one of the most known. It affects salmonid fish, causing the damage to nerves and cartilage, which is why fish swim in a tail-chasing or whirling motion.