title: Host ecotype generates evolutionary and epidemiological divergence across a pathogen metapopulation.
abstract: The extent and speed at which pathogens adapt to host resistance varies considerably. This presents a challenge for predicting when--and where--pathogen evolution may occur. While gene flow and spatially heterogeneous environments are recognized to be critical for the evolutionary potential of pathogen populations, we lack an understanding of how the two jointly shape coevolutionary trajectories between hosts and pathogens. The rust pathogen Melampsora lini infects two ecotypes of its host plant Linum marginale that occur in close proximity yet in distinct populations and habitats. In this study, we found that within-population epidemics were different between the two habitats. We then tested for pathogen local adaptation at host population and ecotype level in a reciprocal inoculation study. Even after controlling for the effect of spatial structure on infection outcome, we found strong evidence of pathogen adaptation at the host ecotype level. Moreover, sequence analysis of two pathogen infectivity loci revealed strong genetic differentiation by host ecotype but not by distance. Hence, environmental variation can be a key determinant of pathogen population genetic structure and coevolutionary dynamics and can generate strong asymmetry in infection risks through space.
authors.affiliation: Metapopulation Research Group, Department of Biosciences, University of Helsinki, PO Box 65, Helsinki 00014, Finland anna-liisa.laine@helsinki.fi.
authors.forename: Anna-Liisa
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Laine
authors.affiliation: CSIRO Plant Industry, GPO Box 1600, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory 2601, Australia.
authors.forename: Jeremy J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Burdon
authors.affiliation: CSIRO Plant Industry, GPO Box 1600, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory 2601, Australia.
authors.forename: Adnane
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Nemri
authors.affiliation: CSIRO Plant Industry, GPO Box 1600, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory 2601, Australia.
authors.forename: Peter H
authors.initials: PH
authors.lastname: Thrall
mesh_terms: D000220:Adaptation, Biological; D001487:Basidiomycota / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D017753:Ecosystem; D060146:Ecotype; D019143:Evolution, Molecular; D019597:Flax / Q000235:genetics* / Q000382:microbiology*; D014644:Genetic Variation; D054884:Host-Pathogen Interactions; D009517:New South Wales; D010935:Plant Diseases / Q000235:genetics* / Q000382:microbiology*
keywords: Linum–Melampsora interaction; coevolution; genotype-by-environment interactions; host–parasite interactions; local adaptation