Empty of People, Overrun by Pigeons Demise of passenger pigeon linked to Lyme disease Tina Butler, mongabay.com November 14, 2005
Here is part of the article:
It might be difficult to imagine how the loss of a particular bird species can cause an outbreak of human disease, but the Stanford University research team behind the study offered an equally compelling and convincing yet disturbing example.
Team researcher Gretchen Daily cited the example of the oft-discussed passenger pigeon, revealing that its extinction is believed to have exacerbated the proliferation of Lyme disease.
When the birds existed in large numbers, the acorns on which they subsisted would have been too scarce to support the large populations of deer mice that flourish today.
These rodents are the main reservoir of Lyme's disease, and the acorns make up a significant part of their diet.
With this in mind, the fate of the passenger pigeon becomes something of a sobering reminder of the importance of balance in the natural world and the consequences of disturbances.
The passenger pigeon, once a symbol of natural, albeit ultimately unnatural bounty, is also a symbol of humanity's capacity to squander in instances of abundance.
What is more, repositioned as an outbreak species, the passenger pigeon has become an entirely different animal and the conception that the New World was some rich, wild virgin land now stands on shaky ground.
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jamescase20
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The passenger pigon probly spread lyme more!!!! Being able to fly over water.
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Angelica
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Especially the Passenger Plane Pigeons with flights originating on Plum Island.
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