Abstract

Temperature plays a multidimensional role in host-pathogen interactions. As an important element of climate change, elevated world temperature resulting from global warming presents new challenges to sustainable disease management. Knowledge of pathogen adaptation to global warming is needed to predict future disease epidemiology and formulate mitigating strategies. In this study, 21 Phytophthora infestans isolates originating from seven thermal environments were acclimated for 200 days under stepwise increase or decrease of experimental temperatures and evolutionary responses of the isolates to the thermal changes were evaluated. We found temperature acclimation significantly increased the fitness and genetic adaptation of P. infestans isolates at both low and high temperatures. Low-temperature acclimation enforced the countergradient adaptation of the pathogen to its past selection and enhanced the positive association between the pathogen's intrinsic growth rate and aggressiveness. At high temperatures, we found that pathogen growth collapsed near the maximum temperature for growth, suggesting a thermal niche boundary may exist in the evolutionary adaptation of P. infestans. These results indicate that pathogens can quickly adapt to temperature shifts in global warming. If this is associated with environmental conditions favoring pathogen spread, it will threaten future food security and human health and require the establishment of mitigating actions.

Keywords

acclimation; aggressiveness; fitness; Phytophthora infestans; thermal adaptation

Published in

Evolutionary applications
2020, Volume: 13, number: 4, pages: 768-780
Publisher: WILEY

SLU Authors

• Zhan, Jiasui

  • Department of Forest Mycology and Plant Pathology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    
  • Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University

Associated SLU-program

SLU Plant Protection Network


Sustainable Development Goals

SDG13 Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts
SDG2 End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture


UKÄ Subject classification

Agricultural Science
Evolutionary Biology


Publication identifier

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/eva.12899

Permanent link to this page (URI)

https://res.slu.se/id/publ/105198