COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: Host Community Diversity, Species Composition, and the Spread of Generalist Plant Pathogens

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Pathogens with multiple hosts are of increasing importance for human health, domestic animal production, and wild animals of conservation significance. The proposed research will explore the influence of the diversity of host communities on the spread of two generalist plant pathogens, one transmitted by insect vectors and one directly transmitted by plant contact. Field experiments will be used to test hypotheses about how species interactions and community structure influence pathogen prevalence. This project extends previous research to examine the spread of two generalist viruses in diverse plant communities. By using an easily manipulated and controlled model system to investigate disease dynamics of pathogens with multiple hosts, this research will test a number of predictions from epidemiological theory that cannot be readily addressed with animal or human systems. This work also has direct application in agricultural production, where a number of economically important plant pathogens have multiple hosts that include both wild and crop species. The viruses in this model system are agronomically important pathogens. Information on the potential of wild grasses to serve as important reservoirs of virus for crops will be of direct utility to disease control programs. Understanding the dynamics of disease spread and the effects of community diversity on disease prevalence will aid in designing new, more sustainable approaches to disease management that may be applicable to agricultural, animal, and human hosts. This research will provide training opportunities for undergraduate, graduate, and postdoctoral students, including underrepresented minority students, from ecology, plant pathology, natural resources, and agricultural science.