TY - JOUR
T1 - Pathogen effects on vegetative and floral odours mediate vector attraction and host exposure in a complex pathosystem
AU - Shapiro, Lori
AU - De Moraes, Consuelo M.
AU - Stephenson, Andrew G.
AU - Mescher, Mark C.
PY - 2012/12
Y1 - 2012/12
N2 - Pathogens can alter host phenotypes in ways that influence interactions between hosts and other organisms, including insect disease vectors. Such effects have implications for pathogen transmission, as well as host exposure to secondary pathogens, but are not well studied in natural systems, particularly for plant pathogens. Here, we report that the beetle-transmitted bacterial pathogen Erwinia tracheiphila - which causes a fatal wilt disease - alters the foliar and floral volatile emissions of its host (wild gourd, Cucurbita pepo ssp. texana) in ways that enhance both vector recruitment to infected plants and subsequent dispersal to healthy plants. Moreover, infection by Zucchini yellow mosaic virus (ZYMV), which also occurs at our study sites, reduces floral volatile emissions in a manner that discourages beetle recruitment and therefore likely reduces the exposure of virus-infected plants to the lethal bacterial pathogen - a finding consistent with our previous observation of dramatically reduced wilt disease incidence in ZYMV-infected plants.
AB - Pathogens can alter host phenotypes in ways that influence interactions between hosts and other organisms, including insect disease vectors. Such effects have implications for pathogen transmission, as well as host exposure to secondary pathogens, but are not well studied in natural systems, particularly for plant pathogens. Here, we report that the beetle-transmitted bacterial pathogen Erwinia tracheiphila - which causes a fatal wilt disease - alters the foliar and floral volatile emissions of its host (wild gourd, Cucurbita pepo ssp. texana) in ways that enhance both vector recruitment to infected plants and subsequent dispersal to healthy plants. Moreover, infection by Zucchini yellow mosaic virus (ZYMV), which also occurs at our study sites, reduces floral volatile emissions in a manner that discourages beetle recruitment and therefore likely reduces the exposure of virus-infected plants to the lethal bacterial pathogen - a finding consistent with our previous observation of dramatically reduced wilt disease incidence in ZYMV-infected plants.
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U2 - 10.1111/ele.12001
DO - 10.1111/ele.12001
M3 - Article
C2 - 22988893
AN - SCOPUS:84867407842
SN - 1461-023X
VL - 15
SP - 1430
EP - 1438
JO - Ecology Letters
JF - Ecology Letters
IS - 12
ER -