Data from: Four rodent and vole biodiversity models for Europe

The mechanisms underlying associations between rodent diversity and the spread of rodent borne diseases are still unclear. The number of potential host species may influence a disease by either spreading the pathogen (or vectors) more rapidly or conversely by reducing contact with other hosts through the effects of dilution. In either case the number of potential hosts may impact on the distribution of a disease or its vectors. Four spatially modelled indices of rodent species richness have been generated to support distribution modelling of rodent borne diseases specifically initially focussing on Hantaviruses and tick borne diseases.

啮齿类动物多样性与啮齿动物传播疾病（rodent-borne diseases）传播之间关联的潜在机制目前仍未明确。潜在宿主物种的数量可通过两种路径影响疾病传播：一是更快速地扩散病原体（或媒介生物），二是通过稀释效应（dilution effect）降低宿主间的接触频率。无论通过何种路径，潜在宿主的数量均可能对疾病或其媒介的分布产生影响。本数据集已生成四项啮齿类物种丰富度空间建模指数，以支撑啮齿动物传播疾病的分布建模工作，初期研究重点聚焦于汉坦病毒（Hantaviruses）与蜱传疾病（tick-borne diseases）。