In Terms of Community Ecology, Why Are Pathogens More Virulent

question 5

Multiple Choice

In terms of community ecology, why are pathogens more virulent now than ever before?

• A) More new pathogens have recently evolved.
• B) Host organisms have become more susceptible because of weakened immune systems.
• C) Human activities are transporting pathogens globally at an unprecedented rate.
• D) Medicines for treating pathogenic disease are in short supply.
• E) Sequencing of genes in pathogenic organisms is particularly difficult.

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Definitions:

Fixed Cost

Fixed cost refers to a cost that does not change with the level of goods or services produced by a business over a certain period.

Production

The creation or manufacture of goods and services with the combination of labor, equipment, technologies, and raw materials.

Diminishing Returns

A principle stating that if one factor of production is increased while others are held constant, the output per unit of the variable factor will eventually decrease.

ATC

An abbreviation for Average Total Cost, a financial metric calculated by dividing the total cost by the quantity of output produced.