The relative contributions of host density and genetic diversity on prevalence of a multi-host parasite in bumblebees

Parsche, Susann; Lattorff, H. Michael G.

doi:10.1093/biolinnean/bly151

Cited by 12 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 65 publications

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“…Forest plots show the distribution of the correlation coefficient r relating population‐level estimates of parasitism and genetic diversity across field‐based populations of noncrop hosts. Estimates are shown for 24 observational surveys in 22 studies—Parsche and Lattorf (2018) and Whitehorn et al. (2014) reported two independent surveys with data from two different host species.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Does genetic diversity protect host populations from parasites? A meta-analysis across natural and agricultural systems

Gibson

Nguyen

2021

Evolution Letters

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If parasites transmit more readily between closely related hosts, then parasite burdens should decrease with increased genetic diversity of host populations. This important hypothesis is often accepted at face value—notorious epidemics of crop monocultures testify to the vulnerability of host populations that have been purged of diversity. Yet the relationship between genetic diversity and parasitism likely varies across contexts, differing between crop and noncrop hosts and between experimental and natural host populations. Here, we used a meta‐analytic approach to ask if host diversity confers protection against parasites over the range of contexts in which it has been tested. We synthesized the results of 102 studies, comprising 2004 effect sizes representing a diversity of approaches and host‐parasite systems. Our results validate a protective effect of genetic diversity, while revealing significant variation in its strength across biological and empirical contexts. In experimental host populations, genetic diversity reduces parasitism by ∼20% for noncrop hosts and by ∼50% for crop hosts. In contrast, observational studies of natural host populations show no consistent relationship between genetic diversity and parasitism, with both strong negative and positive correlations reported. This result supports the idea that, if parasites preferentially attack close relatives, the correlation of genetic diversity with parasitism could be positive or negative depending upon the potential for host populations to evolve in response to parasite selection. Taken together, these results reinforce genetic diversity as a priority for both conservation and agriculture and emphasize the challenges inherent to drawing comparisons between controlled experimental populations and dynamic natural populations.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Does genetic diversity protect host populations from parasites? A meta-analysis across natural and agricultural systems

Gibson

Nguyen

2021

Evolution Letters

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“…In Daphnia magna it was found that variance in parasitism was higher in groups of relatives ('clonal' versus 'polyclonal' populations), but this diminished as the number of pathogens increased (Ganz and Ebert, 2010). This suggests that where pathogen diversity is high, groups of relatives become increasingly susceptible to pathogens, reducing variance across groups (Boomsma and Ratnieks, 1996;Parsche and Lattorff, 2018;van Baalen and Beekman, 2006).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Living with relatives offsets the harm caused by pathogens in natural populations

Bensch

O’Connor

Cornwallis

2021

Preprint

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Living with relatives can be highly beneficial, enhancing reproduction and survival. However, high relatedness can increase susceptibility to pathogens, a phenomenon known as the 'monoculture effect'. Here we examine if the benefits of living with relatives offsets the harm caused by pathogens, and if this depends if species typically live with kin. Using comparative meta-analysis across plants, animals and bacteria (nspecies=56), we show that high within-group relatedness increases mortality when pathogens are present. Contrastingly, mortality decreased with relatedness when pathogens were rare, particularly in species that live with kin. Variation in pathogen abundances was lower across groups of relatives, but rates of mortality were more unpredictable. The effects of within-group relatedness were only evident when pathogens were manipulated, suggesting that the harm caused by pathogens is masked by the benefits of living with relatives. These results highlight the importance of kin selection for understanding disease spread in natural populations.

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“…In Daphnia magna it was found that variance in parasitism was higher in groups of relatives (‘clonal’ versus ‘polyclonal’ populations), but this diminished as the number of pathogens increased ( Ganz and Ebert, 2010 ). This suggests that where pathogen diversity is high, groups of relatives become increasingly susceptible to pathogens, reducing variance across groups ( Boomsma and Ratnieks, 1996 ; Parsche and Lattorff, 2018 ; van Baalen and Beekman, 2006 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Living with relatives offsets the harm caused by pathogens in natural populations

Bensch

O’Connor

Cornwallis

2021

eLife

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Living with relatives can be highly beneficial, enhancing reproduction and survival. High relatedness can, however, increase susceptibility to pathogens. Here, we examine whether the benefits of living with relatives offset the harm caused by pathogens, and if this depends on whether species typically live with kin. Using comparative meta-analysis of plants, animals, and a bacterium (nspecies = 56), we show that high within-group relatedness increases mortality when pathogens are present. In contrast, mortality decreased with relatedness when pathogens were rare, particularly in species that live with kin. Furthermore, across groups variation in mortality was lower when relatedness was high, but abundances of pathogens were more variable. The effects of within-group relatedness were only evident when pathogens were experimentally manipulated, suggesting that the harm caused by pathogens is masked by the benefits of living with relatives in nature. These results highlight the importance of kin selection for understanding disease spread in natural populations.

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The relative contributions of host density and genetic diversity on prevalence of a multi-host parasite in bumblebees

Cited by 12 publications

References 65 publications

Does genetic diversity protect host populations from parasites? A meta-analysis across natural and agricultural systems

Does genetic diversity protect host populations from parasites? A meta-analysis across natural and agricultural systems

Living with relatives offsets the harm caused by pathogens in natural populations

Living with relatives offsets the harm caused by pathogens in natural populations

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