Transcript Plant Virus Ecology Network (PVEN)

Profound advances in understanding the
ecology of both viruses and higher organisms
Plant Virus Ecology Network (PVEN)
Research Coordination Network
Ecologists
Plant Virus Biodiversity
& Ecology
EPSCoR
NSF
Vector
specialists
Plant Virus Ecology Network (PVEN)
•What's Plant Virus Ecology?
•What's PVEN?
•What's PVEN done?
Plant Virus Ecology
• examines the balanced ecological roles of plantassociated viruses in managed and unmanaged
ecosystems;
• investigates the reciprocal influence of ecosystem
properties on the distribution and evolution of plant
viruses.
R. S. Redman et al., Science 298, 1581 (2002)
C. Malmström
Plant Virus Ecology Example: Thermotolerance
R. S. Redman et al., Science 298, 1581 (2002)
Plant Virus Ecology Example: Invasive Plants
Native perennial
bunchgrasses
Exotic annual grasses
Nassella spp.
Elymus spp.
Koeleria macrantha
Avena spp.
Bromus spp.
Lolium multiflorum
and many others….
C.M. Malmström, R. Shu,
E.W. Linton, L. A.
Newton, M. A. Cook
(2007) J. Ecology (on
line)
Plant Virus Ecology
Two Worlds of Biological Science
Molecular
mechanisms
Ecological
complexity
Plant Virus Ecology
One World of Biological Science
Molecular
Ecological
Plant Virus Ecology Sample Questions
•Within a plant species, do virus communities vary predictably according to
environmental gradients?
•How do virus communities vary as a function of environmental gradients
known to be important for vascular plants?
•Do common plant species have more virus species than rare plant species?
•Does 'distance decay' exist in virus communities?
•Do virus abundance distributions conform to expectation from the Unified
Neutral Theory?
•Are virus abundance distributions lognormal?
•Are annuals less likely to have high viral loads?
•Are some habitats more conducive to high viral loads than others?
•Is virus species biodiversity related to plant biodiversity?
•Are native species likely to have higher viral loads than exotic species?
•Are successful invaders relatively virus-free?
•Are exotic plant species more or less prone to infection than native
species?
•Does a diverse plant community confer protection from viruses?
•What is the role of viruses in the maintenance of plant biodiversity?
Plant Virus Ecology
Societal issues:
•Emergence of new diseases
•GMO safety
•Biosecurity
•Preservation & Restoration
Plant Virus Ecology
Barriers:
•Historic separation of fields
•Ecologists
•Virologists
•Tools
•Diagnostic
•Database infrastructure
Plant Virus Ecology Network (PVEN)--Who?
•Core participants (UPPER CASE)
•Other participants
•Co-coordinators: Carolyn Malmström, U. Melcher
•Coordinating committee: Anna Whitfield, Alison Power, Denis Fargette
•External advisory board: TBA
Plant Virus Ecology Network (PVEN)--What?
• Create community, world wide.
• Encourage new talent and public support.
• Intellectual, physical and informational infrastructure.
PVEN To-do List
(Create Community)
• Recruit talent to PVE
• Ecologists: 2007 ESA meeting ✔
• Plant virologists: 2007 ASV and APS meetings ✔✔
• Develop relationships with allied groups
• International Plant Virus Epidemiology Symposium group ✔
• Newsletter
• One issue sent ✔
• Website
• Workshop
PVEN To-do List
(Encourage Talent)
Three levels
• BS: Summer internships
• created ✔
• First intern ✔
• K-12: Impression 5 Science
Center contracted
• JQ Public: Website
PVEN To-do List
(Infrastructure)
• Intellectual Infrastructure
• Workshop (April 2008, details TBA)
• Discuss questions and issues
• Prioritize
• International participation and NSF
•Local connections
•Attendance fee
• Website forum
• Videoconferencing (experiment under way as we speak)
PVEN To-do List
(Infrastructure)
• Physical and Informational Infrastructure
• Database needs
• Lobbying US NPDN ✔
• Supporting IVDN proposal ✔
• Grant proposal
• Plant Virus Key ✔
• NEON input (in progress)
• Workshop
• Diagnostics
http://bioinfosu.biochem.okstate.edu/pve_rcn/
Ecology in Agricultural & Natural Ecosystems
C. Malmströms' view
Parameter
Species diversity
Ag. systems
Low
Natural ecosystem
High
Genotypic diversity
Low
High
Cohort ages
Identical
Variable
Resource competition
Reduced
Usually high
Herbivory
Reduced
Substantial
Plant Virus Ecology and Epidemiology
Epidemiologists: concerned about disturbances in
equilibria between viruses & hosts in agricultural settings
Ecologists: interested in understanding equilibria between
viruses and hosts in agricultural and natural settings.
Perspectives different, but questions and tools overlap.
Plant Virus Ecology Network (PVEN)
•What's Plant Virus Ecology?
•What's PVEN?
•What's PVEN done?
Want to join us?
Just give me or send me ([email protected]) your name.
For those with no e-mail listed in the program and who give
me a name: give an e-mail address, too.
Profound advances in understanding the
ecology of both viruses and higher organisms
Plant Virus Ecology Network (PVEN)
Research Coordination Network
Ecologists
Plant Virus Biodiversity
& Ecology
EPSCoR
NSF
Vector
specialists