[APWG] NEWS: Cheatgrass facilitates spillover of a seed bank pathogen onto native grass species
Olivia Kwong
plant at plantconservation.org
Tue Dec 29 11:02:14 CST 2009
http://www.treesearch.fs.fed.us/pubs/34171
Title: Cheatgrass facilitates spillover of a seed bank pathogen onto
native grass species
Author: Beckstead, Julie; Meyer, Susan E.; Connolly, Brian M.; Huck,
Michael B.; Street, Laura E.
Date: 2009
Source: Journal of Ecology. 98: 168-177.
Description: Attack by pathogens can have ecological consequences for
plants at many scales, such as the individual, population and community
scale, although the latter is the least studied. Community-level
consequences of disease in natural plant communities can drive
facilitation in succession (Van der Putten, Van Dijk & Peters 1993),
maintain species diversity in tropical rain forest (i.e. Janzen-Connell
hypothesis; Clark & Clark 1984) and promote exotic invasion via negative
feedback loops (Callaway et al. 2004). The pathogens involved in the above
community-level interactions are often restricted to a narrow host range
and target the seedling or reproductive stage. Although these studies are
useful in providing an understanding of the consequences of disease in
natural plant communities, they do not address the dynamic and complex
consequences of disease caused by multiple-host pathogens, nor do they
address pathogens that target the critical seed stage.
See the link above for the copy of this publication.
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