Lack of awareness of the ecological implications of Fig. 1 Diagram depicting infectious disease ecology causal schema. The aggregate variable at the top of the diagram, representing population and consumption, along with mitigating socio-cultural attributes, is the driver or 'forcing function' responsible for land use and land cover change characteristic of a particular region. The result is varying degrees (and types) of urbanization, agricultural intensification (including food production and distribution), and alteration of natural habitat. These changes at the level of landscapes and habitat produce conditions influencing the ecological and evolutionary dynamics of vector and host species and vector/host-pathogen dynamics. In turn, these conditions facilitate the geographic expansion, novel appearance, or increased epidemic activity of a disease.