Insects as vectors of plant pathogens: mutualistic and antagonistic interactions

Interactions between plants and their herbivores and pathogens are mostly analysed separately, thereby neglecting mutualistic or antagonistic interactions between these antagonists and possible joint effects on the host. We studied interactions between the weed Cirsium arvense, the rust fungus Puccinia punctiformis and three herbivorous insects, the aphids Aphis fabae ssp. cirsiiacanthoidis and Uroleucon cirsii, and the beetle Cassida rubiginosa. All three insect species mechanically transported spore material and significantly increased rates of P. punctiformis infection in healthy thistles. The interaction between C. rubiginosa and the fungus was antagonistic. Although C. rubiginosa transferred spores, biomass of adults was significantly reduced, development of adults tended to be prolonged and mortality increased when feeding on plants infected with P. punctiformis. In contrast, the relationship between the aphid U. cirsii and P. punctiformis was mutualistic: U. cirsii profited by fungal infection and formed significantly larger colonies on fungus-infected plants. Although the differences in insect performance suggest that aphids may be better vectors than the beetle, infection rates were similar. This is the first study to demonstrate that the relationship between herbivores, which increase the dispersal of a pathogen, and the pathogen itself can be mutualistic or antagonistic, depending on the species.