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Author Spotlight: Advanced Enteroid Model for Studying Host-Pathogen Interactions
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Spatially structured eco-evolutionary dynamics in a host-pathogen interaction render isolated populations vulnerable
Layla Höckerstedt1,2, Elina Numminen1, Ben Ashby3,4
1Organismal and Evolutionary Biology Research Program, Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, 00014 University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.
Nature Communications
|October 13, 2022
Summary
Pathogen impacts on wild plants are less severe in connected populations due to higher resistance diversity. Isolated plant populations show greater susceptibility to disease, highlighting spatial structure
Area of Science:
- Ecology
- Evolutionary Biology
- Plant Pathology
Background:
- Negative effects of pathogens on hosts are well-documented in humans and agriculture.
- Direct evidence of pathogen impacts in wild host populations is scarce and inconsistent.
- Understanding pathogen-host dynamics in natural systems is crucial for conservation and management.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how spatial structure influences pathogen-imposed selection in wild plant populations.
- To determine the relationship between population connectivity, disease susceptibility, and resistance diversity.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of growth rates in approximately 4000 perennial plant populations over time, correlated with pathogen presence/absence data.
- An inoculation study to assess disease susceptibility and resistance diversity in isolated versus connected populations.
- Development and application of a spatial eco-evolutionary model to predict disease dynamics.
Main Results:
- Infection significantly decreased growth rates more in isolated host populations compared to well-connected ones.
- Isolated populations exhibited high susceptibility to disease, while connected populations showed greater resistance diversity.
- Host gene flow, rather than disease history, was more critical in determining the overall outcome of disease impact.
Conclusions:
- Spatial structure critically shapes the ecological impact of pathogens on wild host populations.
- Gene flow and resistance diversity in connected populations mitigate disease effects, contrasting with isolated populations.
- Evolutionary feedbacks, influenced by spatial structure and non-linear costs to resistance, are key drivers of disease dynamics.
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