Pathogens in multispecies host communities
Stereotypical disease ecology study
Yet most pathogens infect multiple host species
What are the effects of host species diversity on pathogens?
Five ways diversity can decrease disease
S: susceptible host regulation
What other mechanisms could explain results?
maybe: encounter (contact) reduction
But, little support for encounter reduction in crops
Greater risk of emergence across hosts:
Plant viruses – Power & Flecker 2003 chapter
Cereal & barley yellow dwarf viruses
An earlier experiment with Avena
Predators – Ostfeld & Holt 2004
Infection can depend on resistance (and tolerance) to other consumers