title: Disease ecology. Ecological and evolutionary effects of fragmentation on infectious disease dynamics.
abstract: Ecological theory predicts that disease incidence increases with increasing density of host networks, yet evolutionary theory suggests that host resistance increases accordingly. To test the combined effects of ecological and evolutionary forces on host-pathogen systems, we analyzed the spatiotemporal dynamics of a plant (Plantago lanceolata)-fungal pathogen (Podosphaera plantaginis)relationship for 12 years in over 4000 host populations. Disease prevalence at the metapopulation level was low, with high annual pathogen extinction rates balanced by frequent (re-)colonizations. Highly connected host populations experienced less pathogen colonization and higher pathogen extinction rates than expected; a laboratory assay confirmed that this phenomenon was caused by higher levels of disease resistance in highly connected host populations.
authors.affiliation: Metapopulation Research Group, Department of Biosciences, University of Helsinki, Post Office Box 65 (Viikinkaari 1), FI-00014 University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.
authors.forename: Jussi
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Jousimo
authors.affiliation: Metapopulation Research Group, Department of Biosciences, University of Helsinki, Post Office Box 65 (Viikinkaari 1), FI-00014 University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.
authors.forename: Ayco J M
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Tack
authors.affiliation: Metapopulation Research Group, Department of Biosciences, University of Helsinki, Post Office Box 65 (Viikinkaari 1), FI-00014 University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.
authors.forename: Otso
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Ovaskainen
authors.affiliation: Metapopulation Research Group, Department of Biosciences, University of Helsinki, Post Office Box 65 (Viikinkaari 1), FI-00014 University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland. Department of Biomedical Engineering and Computational Science, Aalto University School of Science, FI-00076 Aalto, Finland.
authors.forename: Tommi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Mononen
authors.affiliation: Metapopulation Research Group, Department of Biosciences, University of Helsinki, Post Office Box 65 (Viikinkaari 1), FI-00014 University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.
authors.forename: Hanna
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Susi
authors.affiliation: Metapopulation Research Group, Department of Biosciences, University of Helsinki, Post Office Box 65 (Viikinkaari 1), FI-00014 University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.
authors.forename: Charlotte
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Tollenaere
authors.affiliation: Metapopulation Research Group, Department of Biosciences, University of Helsinki, Post Office Box 65 (Viikinkaari 1), FI-00014 University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland. anna-liisa.laine@helsinki.fi.
authors.forename: Anna-Liisa
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Laine
mesh_terms: D001203:Ascomycota / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D005075:Biological Evolution; D055669:Ecological and Environmental Phenomena; D053476:Extinction, Biological; D054884:Host-Pathogen Interactions; D010935:Plant Diseases / Q000382:microbiology*; D010943:Plantago / Q000382:microbiology*; D012621:Seasons