Did the sweep of the West Nile virus across North America have an impact on the woodpecker populations?
A. As far as we know, the spread of WNV did not push any bird species to the point of extinction. Small, isolated populations are at greatest risk, and the loss of even a single ivory-billed woodpecker to WNV could be disastrous. Although WNV certainly killed many, many birds across North America, most species have the ability to buffer these losses by successful reproduction in future years. Woodpeckers as a group are much less prone to die from WNV than corvids such as crows and jays. Because of natural selection, susceptible birds within any given species will become less numerous, and the survivors of WNV will pass on their genes to future generations, decreasing the impact of WNV in future years. Walter Boyce is a UC Davis professor of veterinary medicine and co-director of the UC Davis Wildlife Health Center. Q. Those with ties to the agriculture industry are greatly concerned about declining bee populations. Indeed, all of us who eat should be concerned. Are we any closer to und
