Plague and Climate: Scales Matter (original) (raw)
Figure 2
Illustration of the abiotic environment impact on the plague cycle as a function of spatial scale.
Arrows represent connections affected by climate (see Figure 1 for the meaning of color coding). Most climate variables act over a wide range of scales and only the effects we deemed most important are represented. At the level of individuals, populations and communities hosts and vectors are influenced by climate variability at the relevant scale (local or regional). At the smaller scale, the burrow acts as a filter on climate variables. Note that secondary hosts are placed at the kilometer and larger scale on the basis of the type of information generally available regarding their infection.