As an Undergraduate Biological Sciences or Environmental Sciences teacher, you can use this lesson plan to teach your students about zoonosis, the increased risk of inter-species virus spillover due to climate change, infectious diseases such as COVID-19 and their modes of transmission.
In this lesson plan, students will be taught how the occurrence of newly emerging infectious diseases like COVID-19 with zoonotic (vertebrate animal to human) transmission are rising due to the closer interactions of humans and wild animals that result in an increased exposure to animal viruses. Greater human-animal conflicts are largely due to environmental changes such as habitat degradation and biodiversity loss caused by anthropogenic activities.
Through this lesson plan your students will learn that human activities induced climate change in turn causes biodiversity disturbances and could be responsible for the increased risk of animal virus spillover into human populations. Thus, the use of this lesson plan allows you to integrate the teaching of a climate science topic with a core topic in Biological Sciences and Environmental Sciences.
Questions
Use this lesson plan to help your students find answers to:
What is the zoonotic transmission of a disease? Give examples.
Why is there an increased incidence of newly emerging viruses in recent times?
How could climate change increase the risk of inter-species virus spillover in the future?
How has climate change affected the occurrence of vector-borne and infectious diseases?
Here is a step-by-step guide to using this lesson plan in the classroom/laboratory. We have suggested these steps as a possible plan of action. You may customize the lesson plan according to your preferences and requirements.
1
Introduce the role of climate in the occurrence of infectious diseases.
Use the reading, ‘Climate Change and Infectious Diseases’ by the World Health Organization, to explain the association of infectious diseases with climatic conditions. Use the text to describe the various modes of transmission of viral diseases in humans, in animals, and between animals and humans. Explain what zoonotic transmission is, in the context of the SARS-CoV-2. Refer to table 6.1 in the text to discuss examples of how environmental changes have affected the occurrence of various infectious diseases in humans in the past. Finally, use the text to emphasize how different methods of predictive modelling have shown that climate change could result in changes in infectious disease transmission patterns.
2
Discuss how climate change related species range shifts and biodiversity disturbances could raise the risk of pandemics.
Use the reading, ‘Q & A: Could climate change and biodiversity loss raise the risk of pandemics?’ by Daisy Dunne for Carbon Brief, to explain to your students how climate change induced biodiversity disturbances could influence the risk of diseases being transmitted from animals to humans. Use the reading to describe how and why a pandemic could develop when climate change affects the biogeographical distribution of species. Explain how rising temperatures and changing precipitation patterns have resulted in some species seeking newer areas. Emphasize on how such movements could increase the contact between animals and humans, and the viruses harbored by them. Highlight how these interactions are exacerbated by human land-use changes such as deforestation and habitat degradation leading to habitat loss. Finally, discuss how all these factors can be responsible for the increased risk of animal-borne diseases crossing over into humans.
3
Describe how changing habitats for mammalian populations can increase the risk of inter-species virus spillover.
Use the research article, ‘Global shifts in mammalian population trends reveal key predictors of virus spillover risk’ by Christine K. Johnson et al., to explain why zoonotic viruses transmission risk has risen with some animals having shifted their ranges and adapted to more human-dominated landscapes. Discuss the anthropogenic activities that have resulted in greater animal-human interactions and facilitated zoonotic disease transmission.
4
Extend understanding of range shifts due to climate variables, for a species of choice.
Use this classroom/laboratory activity, ‘Species Range Over Space and Time’ by Debra Linton, Anna Monfils, Libby Ellwood, Molly Phillips on Qubes, to enable students to analyze data for a chosen species from natural history collections for its range shift due to rising temperatures. Follow the instructions given to complete the activity. This tool will enable students to understand the effect of global temperatures on species’ distributions by analyzing a large dataset. Use the questions given in the accompanying activity sheet to initiate discussions about the impact of species range shifts on changing biotic interactions and their influence on human well-being. Discuss students’ findings in the context of the raised risk of climate-induced virus spillover and the possibility of pandemics.
The tools in this lesson plan will enable students to:
learn about the influence of environmental disruptions and climate change on the occurrence of infectious diseases
describe the role of biodiversity loss and habitat degradation on altering species distribution
explain the possibility of zoonotic virus transmission due to species range shifts leading to increased human-animal interactions
discuss the impact of climate change on habitat loss, altered biotic interactions and therefore, the higher risk of inter-species virus spillover
Suggested questions/assignments for learning evaluation :
What is the zoonotic transmission of a disease? Give examples.
Why is there an increased incidence of newly emerging viruses in recent times?
How could climate change increase the risk of inter-species virus spillover in the future?
How has climate change affected the occurrence of vector-borne and infectious diseases?
If you or your students would like to explore the topic further, these additional resources will be useful.
1
Video Conversation and associated Reading
A video conversation, ‘Covid-19: Of virulent viruses and reservoir hosts’ between two UC Berkeley researchers, Britt Glaunsinger and Cara Brook, about virology, the origin of the novel coronavirus, and the prospects for a vaccine
Reading ‘Global shifts in mammalian population trends reveal key predictors of virus spillover risk’
Christine K. Johnson, Peta L. Hitchens, Pranav S. Pandit, Julie Rushmore, Tierra Smiley Evans, Cristin C. W. Young and Megan M. Doyle. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences. Volume 287, Issue 1924. Published:08 April 2020
4
Classroom/ laboratory activity ‘Species Range Over Space and Time’
By Debra Linton, Anna Monfils, Libby Ellwood, Molly Phillips on Qubes
World Health Organization Coronavirus disease situation dashboard presents official daily counts of COVID-19 cases and deaths worldwide, while providing a hub to other resources. Interactive tools, including maps, epidemic curves and other charts and graphics, with downloadable data, allow users to track and explore the latest trends, numbers and statistics at global, regional and country levels.
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