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Abstract Major goals of disease ecology are to understand how disease dynamics and host–pathogen evolution shift across contexts and to apply lessons from natural populations to human-managed systems. These goals are especially pressing under rapid environmental change. Wild plant–pathogen systems are ideal for studying the complex ecological and evolutionary dynamics within and between natural and human-managed environments. Here, we review important recent contributions on the ecology and evolution of wild plant pathogens and introduce the articles in this theme issue, emphasizing their relevance to agriculture and the broader field of disease ecology. The articles in this issue are centred around three core themes where research on wild plant pathogens has enhanced our understanding of disease: (i) plant–pathogen responses to environmental change, (ii) evolutionary dynamics of wild plant–pathogen systems, and (iii) disease interactions between wild and cultivated plants. The featured articles span within-host to ecosystem levels covering a wide range of taxa and approaches. Together, these articles advance our fundamental understanding of disease and contribute knowledge useful in developing more sustainable plant health management strategies. We conclude by highlighting key gaps and avenues for future research into the ecological and genetic drivers of disease in wild plants and at the agro-ecological interface. This article is part of the theme issue ‘Wild plant pathosystems’.
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This content will become publicly available on May 28, 2027
Impacts of urbanization on pathogens and pests of wild and cultivated plants
Abstract Understanding how urbanization affects plant interactions with pathogens and herbivores is important for clarifying how changes in land use, climate and biodiversity affect ecological and evolutionary processes, and for managing urban plants to maximize ecosystem services. We performed a systematic literature review of relationships between urbanization and pathogens or pests of wild and cultivated plants. We identified k = 171 relationships from n = 54 studies in which pathogen or pest abundance was quantified in both urban and non-urban areas and summarized their distribution across taxa, geographic regions and directions and mechanisms of effects proposed by the authors. Most studies featured tree hosts and their arthropod pests or fungal pathogens. Grasses and forbs were the next most commonly studied hosts, followed by crops and shrubs. We then performed a meta-analysis limited to trees, which had the most studies with sufficient statistical information (k = 55 relationships, n = 14 studies). In that meta-analysis, we found no overall effect of urbanization on tree pest or pathogen abundance. However, there was a significant effect of pest/pathogen, with arthropod pests trending towards lower abundance in urban areas and fungal pathogens trending towards higher abundance. Drawing on literature from the broader fields of urban ecology, disease ecology and plant pathology, we synthesize our findings and offer insights into mechanisms by which urbanization influences disease and herbivory in wild and cultivated plants. We conclude by identifying research gaps, with the goal of informing management strategies that prioritize food security, environmental health and global biodiversity. This article is part of the theme issue ‘Wild plant pathosystems’.
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- PAR ID:
- 10686135
- Publisher / Repository:
- Royal Society Publishing
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Philosophical Transactions B
- Volume:
- 381
- Issue:
- 1951
- ISSN:
- 0962-8436
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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