WETLAND COVER DYNAMICS DRIVE HEMORRHAGIC DISEASE PATTERNS IN WHITE-TAILED DEER IN THE UNITED STATES.

The article discusses research which examined the spatial dynamics of hemorrhagic disease (HD) affecting white-tailed deer in the U.S. from 1980 to 2007. The paucity of data on disease occurrence led to poor understanding of the impact of land-cover change on vector-borne wildlife disease patterns. Wetland cover was found to be a critical driver of HD morbidity. Findings showed a positive association between increasing wetland cover and HD morbidity.