Individual variation in pathogen attack and differential reproductive success in the annual legume, Amphicarpaea...

Demographic analyses in two natural populations of the annual legume Amphicarpaea bracteate examined whether variation in attack by the host-specific fungal pathogen Synchytrium decipiens was associated with variation in the reproductive success of individual plants. In both populations, fungal infection early in life was significantly associated with reduced seedling growth rates. Laboratory inoculation experiments confirmed that S. decipiens infection had a negative impact on plant growth. The laboratory experiments further indicated that there was significant variation among the progenies of different plant genotypes in the degree of growth reduction caused by pathogen attack. Prereproductive mortality rates in natural environments were significantly higher for plants with infection intensities above the median; for the two populations studied, heavily infected plants had 3.8 and 12 gimes higher death rates compared with low infection plants. Among surviving plants, fungal infection intensity was significantly negatively correlated with total seed biomass in both populations. As a result of these associations between plant survivorship, fecundity, and fungal infection, lifetime relative fitness within both plant populations was strongly negatively correlated with the intensity of S. decipiens infection. These results demonstrate the existence of consistent natural selection for increased resistance to pathogen attack in this plant species.