Thank you. (Ambrosia artemisiifolia is a carantine plant species, I used it as an example because it’s notorious for having allergenic pollen, contributing to desertification—its roots can reach about 4m down, maybe more—and is rather easy to recognize, but people just don’t care to eradicate it or at least cut off the inflorescences. And yes, in many places its spread is already unstoppable. Some other plants of the same genus are carantine weeds, too.)
I referred rather more to pathogens that could arise and benefit from totally manmade environments. (I remember from somewhere that in supermarkets all over the world, the same six species of Drosophila occur; I think that transportation and storage networks can be modeled as ecosystems, especially if more and more stuff gets produced.)
Yes, in fact fungi rusts could eliminate entire species, as has happened with previous variant of banana and now with amphibious. And here rises the question: could some kind of fungi be dangerous to human existence?
I really cannot tell. The Irish Famine comes to mind, but surely such things are in the past?.. It’s just not a question that you should ask a non-expert if you, because the trivial answer is of course ‘yes’, but enfolding it takes expertise.
IANAD, but there’s Pneumocystis pneumonia, a really ugly resistant to treatment thing. Don’t know if it’s virulent enough to threaten mankind as a whole.
Edit: but considering that the fungus ‘appears to be present in healthy individuals in general population’ and causes pneumonia if the immune system is weakened, I would not disregard the possibility.
Thank you. (Ambrosia artemisiifolia is a carantine plant species, I used it as an example because it’s notorious for having allergenic pollen, contributing to desertification—its roots can reach about 4m down, maybe more—and is rather easy to recognize, but people just don’t care to eradicate it or at least cut off the inflorescences. And yes, in many places its spread is already unstoppable. Some other plants of the same genus are carantine weeds, too.)
I referred rather more to pathogens that could arise and benefit from totally manmade environments. (I remember from somewhere that in supermarkets all over the world, the same six species of Drosophila occur; I think that transportation and storage networks can be modeled as ecosystems, especially if more and more stuff gets produced.)
Yes, in fact fungi rusts could eliminate entire species, as has happened with previous variant of banana and now with amphibious. And here rises the question: could some kind of fungi be dangerous to human existence?
I really cannot tell. The Irish Famine comes to mind, but surely such things are in the past?.. It’s just not a question that you should ask a non-expert if you, because the trivial answer is of course ‘yes’, but enfolding it takes expertise.
I meant the fungi which kill humans…
IANAD, but there’s Pneumocystis pneumonia, a really ugly resistant to treatment thing. Don’t know if it’s virulent enough to threaten mankind as a whole.
Edit: but considering that the fungus ‘appears to be present in healthy individuals in general population’ and causes pneumonia if the immune system is weakened, I would not disregard the possibility.