Proesmans W., Albrecht M., Gaida A., Neumann, P., Paxton R. J., Pioz M., Polzin C., Schweiger O., Settele J., Szentgyörgyi H., Thulke H. H., Vanbergen A. J.
Pathways for novel epidemiology: Plant–Pollinator–Pathogen networks and global change.
Trends in Ecology & Evolution, 36, (7), 2021, 623-636.
Multiple global change pressures, and their interplay, cause plant–pollinator extinctions and modify species assemblages and interactions. This may alter the risks of pathogen host shifts, intra- or interspecific pathogen spread, and emergence of novel population or community epidemics. Flowers are hubs for pathogen transmission. Consequently, the structure of plant–pollinator interaction networks may be pivotal in pathogen host shifts and modulating disease dynamics. Traits of plants, pollinators, and pathogens may also govern the interspecific spread of pathogens. Pathogen spillover–spillback between managed and wild pollinators risks driving the evolution of virulence and community epidemics. Understanding this interplay between host–pathogen dynamics and global change will be crucial to predicting impacts on pollinators and pollination underpinning ecosystems and human wellbeing.
