Collaborative Research: Effects of Environmental Variation on Plant Disease in the Tallgrass Prairie

凯伦·安·加雷特，艾莉森·鲍尔，海伦·亚历山大(DEB-0130692,0128277,0128810)对植物疾病在自然生态系统中的作用知之甚少，但当前的几个环境问题促使人们更多地了解。当考虑到气候变化、新病原物种的入侵或抗病基因从转基因作物物种转移到野生植物种群的潜在影响时，了解植物病害在自然生态系统中的作用是关键。我们建议对高草草原上的植物病害进行研究，以提供与这些问题相关的信息，以及对病原体生态学的一般理论理解，以及病原体在决定特定植物物种的成功中可能发挥的作用。北美高草草原上的植物特别令人感兴趣，因为这个生态系统的残存面积如此之少，恢复高草草原的尝试是大平原保护工作的重要重点。在这项研究中，我们将提供在堪萨斯州东北部弗林特山高草草原地区的NSF LTER站点Konza Prairie BioStation(KPBS)发现的一组具有代表性的Tallgras草原植物上病原菌物种的丰度及其共生模式的信息。我们还将评估预测的气候变化情景、小气候变化的景观模式和燃烧周期模式的影响，并努力改进采样方法，以表征自然植物种群中的病原体种群。这项研究将提供KPBS植物病害的基本基线数据集，以补充LTER关于植物物种组成和生产力的数据库。

ABSTRACTKaren Ann Garett, Allison Power, Helen Alexander (DEB-0130692, 0128277,0128810) Little is known about the role of plant disease in natural ecosystems, but several current environmental concerns motivate a greater understanding. When considering the potential effects of climate change, invasions of new pathogen species, or movement of disease resistance genes from genetically modified crop species to wild plant populations, understanding the role of plant disease in natural ecosystems is key. We propose a study of plant disease in the tallgrass prairie to provide information relevant to these concerns as well as to a general theoretical understanding of pathogen ecology and the role pathogens may play in determining the success of particular plant species. Plants in the tallgrass prairie of North America are of particular interest because so little area remains of this ecosystem and attempts to restore tallgrass prairie are an important focus of conservation efforts in the Great Plains. In this study we will provide information about the abundance of pathogen species and the patterns of their co-occurrence on a set of representative tallgrass prairie plant species found at the Konza Prairie Biological Station (KPBS), an NSF LTER site in the Flint Hills tallgrass prairie region in northeastern Kansas. We will also estimate the effects of predicted climate change scenarios, landscape patterns of microclimate variation, and burning cycle patterns, and work to refine sampling methods for characterizing pathogen populations within natural plant populations. This study will supply an essential baseline data set for plant diseases at KPBS to complement the LTER database on plant species composition and productivity.