Abstract
Auto-infection (infection arising from inoculum produced on the same host unit) is common in polycyclic plant pathogens, but often neglected in experimental and theoretical studies, which focus instead on infection of new hosts (allo-infection). Here we test the hypothesis that high auto-infection, as observed for leaf infecting fungal pathogens, could select for short latent periods. An individual-based simulation model keeps track of lesions, resulting from the spread of spores, between and within individual leaves. Linked to a trade-off between latent period and spore production capacity, as observed for Puccinia triticina on wheat, the adaptation of the latent period is analysed for different levels of auto-infection using the methods of pairwise invasibility plots. Results suggest that increased auto-infection selects for reduced latent periods. A reduction in leaf longevity also selects for reduced latent periods, which is most obvious for a relatively low ratio of auto- to allo-infection. This study is the first to consider the effect of auto-infection on the evolution of pathogen life history traits. The fact that auto-infection could drastically reduce pathogen latent periods highlights the need for more research in this area.
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Acknowledgments
This work was partly funded through a BBSRC-INRA project entitled “Epidemiological and evolutionary models for invasion and persistence of disease”. Rothamsted Research receives support from the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council of the United Kingdom. CAG gratefully acknowledges support of a BBSRC Professional Fellowship. The authors would like to thank an anonymous referee who drew our attention to the alternative hypothesis of kin selection.
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van den Berg, F., Gaucel, S., Lannou, C. et al. High levels of auto-infection in plant pathogens favour short latent periods: a theoretical approach. Evol Ecol 27, 409–428 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10682-012-9602-2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10682-012-9602-2