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 dynamicsPublished in
Ecology2017, volume: 98, number: 10, pages: 2574-2584
Publisher: WILEY
Authors' information
Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Department of Ecology
Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Department of Ecology
University of Helsinki
Pulkkinen, Pertti
Natural Resources Institute Finland (LUKE)
Tack, Ayco J. M.
Stockholm University
Associated SLU-program
SLU Network Plant Protection
UKÄ Subject classification
Ecology
Publication Identifiers
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/ecy.1949
URI (permanent link to this page)
https://res.slu.se/id/publ/92949