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The influence of host diversity and composition on epidemiological patterns at multiple spatial scales
Sean M Moore1, Elizabeth T Borer
1National Center for Atmospheric Research, Boulder, Colorado 80307, USA. smoore@ucar.edu
Ecology
|July 7, 2012
Summary
Local host community composition and meadow landscape features, not regional factors, drive barley and cereal yellow dwarf viruses (B/CYDV) prevalence. These findings are crucial for understanding pathogen dynamics in diverse ecosystems.
Area of Science:
- Ecology
- Plant Pathology
- Landscape Ecology
Background:
- Pathogen prevalence is shaped by ecological processes across various spatial scales.
- Host-pathogen interactions depend on community composition, landscape structure, and environmental factors.
- Understanding local infection drivers requires considering landscape and regional environmental influences.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how local community interactions and landscape structure affect barley and cereal yellow dwarf viruses (B/CYDV) dynamics.
- To identify key abiotic and biotic factors influencing B/CYDV host-pathogen interactions in Cascade Mountains meadows.
- To determine the spatial scales at which B/CYDV prevalence varies.
Main Methods:
- Variance components analysis to partition sources of prevalence variation.
- Model selection techniques to identify influential factors.
- Field surveys in Cascade Mountains meadows to assess B/CYDV prevalence and community composition.
Main Results:
- B/CYDV prevalence varied significantly by host species identity (e.g., Festuca idahoensis vs. Elymus glaucus, Bromus carinatus).
- Prevalence varied among meadows within the same complex but not among different meadow complexes at a larger scale.
- Meadow-level prevalence variation was linked to local community context (host identity, abundance, richness) and landscape attributes (e.g., meadow aspect).
Conclusions:
- Local host community composition and landscape characteristics are key determinants of B/CYDV spatial patterns.
- Landscape features, such as meadow aspect, mediate the influence of local community composition on pathogen spread.
- Regional-scale factors did not significantly explain B/CYDV prevalence variation in this study system.
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