Environmental Nutrient Supply Directly Alters Plant Traits but Indirectly Determines Virus Growth Rate.

ABSTRACT: Ecological stoichiometry and resource competition theory both predict that nutrient rates and ratios can alter infectious disease dynamics. Pathogens such as viruses hijack nutrient rich host metabolites to complete multiple steps of their epidemiological cycle. As the synthesis of these molecules requires nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P), environmental supply rates, and ratios of N and P to hosts can directly limit disease dynamics. Environmental nutrient supplies also may alter virus epidemiology indirectly by changing host phenotype or the dynamics of coinfecting pathogens. We tested whether host nutrient supplies and coinfection control pathogen growth within hosts and transmission to new hosts, either directly or through modifications of plant tissue chemistry (i.e., content and stoich

SUBMITTER: Lacroix C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5681519 | biostudies-literature | 2017

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature