The effects of global change on semi-natural and agro-ecosystem functioning have been studied extensively. However, less well understood is how global change will influence fungal diseases, especially in a natural ecosystem.
We use data from a 6-yr factorial experiment with warming (simulated using infrared heaters) and altered precipitation treatments in a natural Tibetan alpine meadow ecosystem, from which we tested global change effects on foliar fungal diseases at the population and community levels, and evaluated the importance of direct effects of the treatments and community-mediated (indirect) effects (through changes in plant community composition and competence) of global change on community pathogen load.
At the population level, we found warming significantly increased fungal diseases for nine plant species. At the community level, we found that warming significantly increased pathogen load of entire host communities, whereas no significant effect of altered precipitation on community pathogen load was detected.
We concluded that warming influences fungal disease prevalence more than precipitation does in a Tibetan alpine meadow. Moreover, our study provides new experimental evidence that increases in disease burden on some plant species and for entire host communities is primarily the direct effects of warming, rather than community-mediated (indirect) effects.
1.Fudan Univ, Sch Life Sci, Minist Educ, Key Lab Biodivers Sci & Ecol Engn, 2005 Songhu Rd, Shanghai 200438, Peoples R China 2.Univ Toronto Scarborough, Dept Biol Sci, 1265 Mil Trail, Toronto, ON M1C 1A4, Canada 3.Lanzhou Univ, Coll Pastoral Agr Sci & Technol, State Key Lab Grassland Agroecosyst, 768 Jiayuguan Rd West, Lanzhou 730020, Gansu, Peoples R China 4.Peking Univ, Minist Educ, Key Lab Earth Surface Proc, Dept Ecol,Coll Urban & Environm Sci, 5 Yiheyuan Rd, Beijing 100871, Peoples R China 5.Univ Toronto, Dept Ecol & Evolutionary Biol, 25 Wilcocks St, Toronto, ON M5S 3B2, Canada
Recommended Citation:
Liu, Xiang,Ma, Zhiyuan,Cadotte, Marc W.,et al. Warming affects foliar fungal diseases more than precipitation in a Tibetan alpine meadow[J]. NEW PHYTOLOGIST,2019-01-01,221(3):1574-1584