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SUMMARY:Evolution of plant pathogens in response to host resistance - Dr G
 iovanni Lo Iacono\, Dept. of Veterinary Medicine
DTSTART:20120220T113000Z
DTEND:20120220T123000Z
UID:TALK33683@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:Prof. Julia Gog
DESCRIPTION:Theoretical studies on quantitative resistance are rather scar
 ce. A general epidemiological model for plant diseases is formulated and a
 pplied to study the evolution of phenotypic traits of plant pathogens in r
 esponse to both quantitative and qualitative host resistance. The model is
  built over fundamental biological processes occurring and measurable at t
 he individual level (e.g. infection\, spore production\, genetic changes d
 ue to mutations in the offspring of the pathogen). The effects of such pro
 cesses on the higher epidemiological and evolutionary scales are elucidate
 d leading to a coherent\, unified framework. The evolution of the phenotyp
 ic trait of the pathogen showing erosion of quantitative crop resistance n
 aturally arises from the model. The model can be adapted to different path
 o-systems such as the effect of antibiotics on humans and animals.\nIn par
 ticular:\n\n•	We highlight the differences between qualitative and quant
 itative resistance in the effect of key epidemiological and agronomic para
 meters on the durability of resistance. \n\n•	We tested the hypothesis t
 hat the gain from quantitative host resistance could differ depending on t
 he life-cycle component (sporulation rate or infection efficiency) constra
 ined by the resistance\n\n\n•	The model for qualitative resistance is ex
 tended to include the effect of demographic and environmental stochasticit
 y.  We show that that\, in the patho-system considered here\, large stocha
 stic fluctuations in the epidemics enhance extinction of the pathogen. We 
 discuss the effects of stochasticity on the durability of resistance and p
 ossible disease control practises by exploiting the natural sources of sto
 chasticity.\n
LOCATION:DD47\, Cripps Court\, Queens' College
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