Skip to main content
SLU publication database (SLUpub)
Research article - Peer-reviewed, 2017

Dispersal, host genotype and environment shape the spatial dynamics of a parasite in the wild

Ekholm, Adam; Roslin, Tomas; Pulkkinen, Pertti; Tack, Ayco J. M.

Abstract

Dispersal, environment and genetic variation may all play a role in shaping host-parasite dynamics. Yet, in natural systems, their relative importance remains unresolved. Here, we do so for the epidemiology of a specialist parasite (Erysiphe alphitoides) on the pedunculate oak (Quercus robur). For this purpose, we combine evidence from a multi-year field survey and two dispersal experiments, all conducted at the landscape scale. Patterns detected in the field survey suggest that the parasite is structured as a metapopulation, with trees in denser oak stands characterized by higher parasite occupancy, higher colonization rates and lower extinction rates. The dispersal experiments revealed a major impact of the environment and of host genotype on the presence and abundance of the parasite, with a weaker but detectable imprint of dispersal limitation. Overall, our findings emphasize that dispersal, host genotype and the environment jointly shape the spatial dynamics of a parasite in the wild.

Keywords

colonization; disease dynamics; dispersal; epidemiology; Erysiphe alphitoides; host-parasite interaction; landscape scale; metapopulation; pedunculate oak; powdery mildew; Quercus robur; spatial dynamics

Published in

Ecology
2017, Volume: 98, number: 10, pages: 2574-2584
Publisher: WILEY

      SLU Authors

    • Associated SLU-program

      SLU Plant Protection Network

      UKÄ Subject classification

      Ecology

      Publication identifier

      DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/ecy.1949

      Permanent link to this page (URI)

      https://res.slu.se/id/publ/92949