Abstract
Many insect herbivores are vectors that transmit plant pathogens as they forage. Within food webs, vectors interact with a range of host plants, other herbivores, and predators. Yet, few studies have examined how tri-trophic interactions involving vectors affect the spread of pathogens. Here we assessed effects of food web structure on aphid vectors and the prevalence of an aphid-borne persistent pathogen (Pea enation mosaic virus, PEMV) in pea plants. We experimentally manipulated ladybird predators, alternative host plants, and non-vector herbivores and assessed responses of pea aphids and PEMV using structural equation models. We show that variation in bottom-up, top-down, and horizontal interactions mediated PEMV prevalence. Predators reduced PEMV prevalence by consuming aphids, but an alternative host plant (vetch) had the opposite effect by promoting aphid movement and abundance. Non-vector herbivores (pea leaf weevil) increased PEMV susceptibility in peas. In turn, weevils offset the positive effects of predators on PEMV, but increased the negative effects of vetch. Our results show that tri-trophic interactions within insect and plant food webs can mediate vector biology with synergistic and opposing effects on pathogens. Continuing to assess how community-wide interactions affect vectors will aid in our understanding of vector-borne pathosystems.
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Claims 6
Claim · model-written summary
Food web interactions mediated PEMV prevalence.
- Taxon
- pea plants
Lathyrus oleraceuse1 - Interactor
- PEMVe0pathogen
- Outcome
- PEMV prevalencee0
- Qualifier
- bottom-up, top-down, and horizontal interactionse0
Not reportedDirection
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“variation in bottom-up, top-down, and horizontal interactions mediated PEMV prevalence”
e1“PEMV) in pea plants”
Claim · model-written summary
Ladybird predators reduced PEMV prevalence by consuming aphids.
- Taxon
- pea plantsLathyrus oleraceuse1
- Treatment
- Predatorse0
- Interactor
- PEMVe0pathogen
- Second interactor
- aphidsAphidomorphae0pest
- Outcome
- PEMV prevalencee0
- Direction
- reducede0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Predators reduced PEMV prevalence by consuming aphids”
e1“PEMV) in pea plants”
Claim · model-written summary
Vetch promoted aphid movement and abundance.
- Taxon
- pea plantsLathyrus oleraceuse1
- Treatment
- vetche0
- Interactor
- aphide0pest
- Outcome
- aphid movement and abundancee0
- Direction
- promotinge0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“an alternative host plant (vetch) had the opposite effect by promoting aphid movement and abundance”
e1“PEMV) in pea plants”
Claim · model-written summary
Pea leaf weevils increased PEMV susceptibility in peas.
- Taxon
- peasLathyrus oleraceuse0
- Treatment
- pea leaf weevile0
- Interactor
- PEMVe0pathogen
- Second interactor
- pea leaf weevile0pest
- Outcome
- PEMV susceptibilitye0
- Direction
- increasede0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Non-vector herbivores (pea leaf weevil) increased PEMV susceptibility in peas”
Claim · model-written summary
Weevils offset predators’ reduction of PEMV.
- Taxon
- pea plantsLathyrus oleraceuse1
- Treatment
- weevilse0
- Interactor
- PEMVe0pathogen
- Second interactor
- weevilsCurculionidaee0pest
- Outcome
- positive effects of predators on PEMVe0
- Comparator
- predatorse0
Not reportedDirection
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“weevils offset the positive effects of predators on PEMV”
e1“PEMV) in pea plants”
Claim · model-written summary
Weevils increased the negative effect of vetch on PEMV.
- Taxon
- pea plantsLathyrus oleraceuse1
- Treatment
- weevilse0
- Interactor
- weevilsCurculionidaee0pest
- Outcome
- negative effects of vetche0
- Direction
- increasede0
- Comparator
- vetche0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“weevils offset the positive effects of predators on PEMV, but increased the negative effects of vetch”
e1“PEMV) in pea plants”
The same questions in other papers
biocontrol · disease · Lathyrus oleraceus (pea)Positive and negative results
5 papers in the same direction as this paper · 2 in the opposite direction
- no effect
- no effect
- positive
4 papers more in this group
See all 8 papers →Claims are grouped by organism, treatment and what was measured or targeted. A paper counts as positive when any of its claims in the group is positive.