Record Details
Non-random biodiversity loss underlies predictable increases in viral disease prevalence
ScholarsArchive at Oregon State University
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Title | Non-random biodiversity loss underlies predictable increases in viral disease prevalence |
| Names |
Lacroix, Christelle
(creator) Jolles, Anna (creator) Seabloom, Eric W. (creator) Power, Alison G. (creator) Mitchell, Charles E. (creator) Borer, Elizabeth T. (creator) |
| Date Issued | 2014-03-06 (iso8601) |
| Note | This is an author's peer-reviewed final manuscript, as accepted by the publisher. The article is copyrighted by the author(s) and published by The Royal Society. It can be found at: http://rsif.royalsocietypublishing.org/. |
| Abstract | Disease dilution (reduced disease prevalence with increasing biodiversity) has been described for many different pathogens. Although the mechanisms causing this phenomenon remain unclear, the disassembly of communities to predictable subsets of species, which can be caused by changing climate, land use, or invasive species, underlie one important hypothesis. In this case, infection prevalence will reflect the competence of the remaining hosts. To test this hypothesis, we measured local host species abundance and prevalence of four generalist aphid-vectored pathogens (barley and cereal yellow dwarf viruses) in a ubiquitous annual grass host at ten sites spanning 2000 kilometers along the North American West Coast. In lab and field trials, we measured viral infection, and aphid fecundity and feeding preference on several host species. Virus prevalence increased as local host richness declined. Community disassembly was non random: ubiquitous hosts dominating species-poor assemblages were among the most competent for vector production and virus transmission. This suggests that non-random biodiversity loss led to increased virus prevalence. Because diversity loss is occurring globally in response to anthropogenic changes, such work can inform medical, agricultural, and veterinary disease research by providing insights into the dynamics of pathogens nested within a complex web of environmental forces. |
| Genre | Article |
| Topic | Barley and cereal yellow dwarf viruses (B/CYDVs, Luteoviridae) |
| Identifier | Lacroix, C., Jolles, A., Seabloom, E. W., Power, A. G., Mitchell, C. E., & Borer, E. T. (2014). Non-random biodiversity loss underlies predictable increases in viral disease prevalence. Journal of the Royal Society Interface, 11(92) doi:10.1098/rsif.2013.0947 |
