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Philosophical Transactions Of The Royal Society Of London. Series B, Biological Sciences[JOURNAL]
Philosophical Transactions Of The Royal Society Of London. Series B, Biological Sciences[JOURNAL]
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200 papers
Survival of the choosiest: females prefer to oviposit on rare tolerant plants.
Llamas-Guzmán LP, Fornoni J, Garrido E
Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci · 2026 Jun · PMID 42272388 · Publisher ↗
Most larvae of phytophagous insects have little mobility, so they must complete their development on those plants 'chosen' by their mothers, even if this does not always increase the performance of her offspring. Here, w...
Most larvae of phytophagous insects have little mobility, so they must complete their development on those plants 'chosen' by their mothers, even if this does not always increase the performance of her offspring. Here, we tested the hypothesis that the defence strategy expressed by host plants and the frequency at which they are represented within populations can condition both the preference of the female and the performance of her offspring. Using the plant Datura stramonium and its specialist insect Lema daturaphila, we conducted an experiment in which the frequency of resistant and tolerant genotypes within cages was manipulated, and the initial density of herbivorous adults was controlled. Results provide conclusive evidence of negative frequency-dependent oviposition preference for tolerant plants and differential density-dependent effect between resistant and tolerant plants on larval survival. Female oviposition preference also changed larval density, which in turn fed back to influence larval survival. Moreover, we found that oviposition preference for rare tolerant plants resulted, indeed, in lower plant fitness. Thus, the evolution of phytophagous insects' oviposition preference can be shaped by the frequency in which different plant defensive strategies are represented within the population and can create evolutionary feedback on their host plants. This article is part of the theme issue 'Exploring negative frequency dependent selection across levels: from genetics to ecology and back again'.
Selective attention as a contributor to negative frequency dependent selection in predator-prey interactions.
Herbranson W
Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci · 2026 Jun · PMID 42272387 · Publisher ↗
It is proposed that selective attention may be a contributor to negative frequency dependent selection in predator-prey interactions. When predators use search images to identify prey, low-frequency morphs of those prey...
It is proposed that selective attention may be a contributor to negative frequency dependent selection in predator-prey interactions. When predators use search images to identify prey, low-frequency morphs of those prey that do not match the search image benefit from their rarity. However, the use of search images may also be accompanied by some of the characteristic limitations of selective attention specifically connected to divided attention, conjunction searches and change blindness. Research on these aspects of attention from human cognitive psychology are reviewed and connected to search image use by predators. Some of the advantage enjoyed by low-frequency morphs may be enhanced by those flaws of selective attention. Furthermore, prey species may be able to further exploit those attentional limitations through specific behavioural strategies. This article is part of the theme issue 'Exploring negative frequency dependent selection across levels: from genetics to ecology and back again'.
The origin, genomics and evolution of female-limited polymorphisms.
Svensson EI, Falk JJ, Iversen L … +4 more , Lavanchy G, Roberts NS, Tunström K, Lancaster LT
Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci · 2026 Jun · PMID 42272386 · Publisher ↗
There is a growing interest in the genomic and developmental basis of discrete or multimodal phenotypes governed by genetic polymorphisms. Recent research has uncovered the genomic basis of such polymorphisms and their m...
There is a growing interest in the genomic and developmental basis of discrete or multimodal phenotypes governed by genetic polymorphisms. Recent research has uncovered the genomic basis of such polymorphisms and their maintenance through balancing selection such as negative frequency-dependent selection (NFDS). Such polymorphisms often originate through structural genomic changes or through mutations in regulatory genes. Historically, researchers focused on male-limited polymorphisms and intrasexual competition as drivers of NFDS. However, an increasing number of female-limited polymorphisms are being discovered, with sexual conflict, social selection or natural selection maintaining such polymorphisms. Still, significant gaps in our understanding of female-limited polymorphisms linger, partly as a historical legacy of a male-centric research focus on conspicuous male phenotypes. We review and synthesize female-limited polymorphisms, their maintenance, genetic architecture, genomic basis, developmental origin, microevolutionary dynamics and macroevolutionary diversification. Animals with female-limited polymorphisms include invertebrates (e.g. bedbugs, butterflies, damselflies and fruit flies) but also vertebrates (e.g. birds, mammals and reptiles). By highlighting female-limited polymorphisms, we draw attention to the unique sex-specific selection pressures on females distinguishing them from male-limited polymorphisms. Finally, wee present a conceptual model aimed to explain the origin and evolution of female-limited polymorphisms and outline future research avenues in this emerging field. This article is part of the theme issue 'Exploring negative frequency dependent selection across levels: from genetics to ecology and back again'.
Emergence time difference can create negative frequency dependence and maintain a colour polymorphism in Colias butterflies.
Klein K, Wheat CW, Kokko H
Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci · 2026 Jun · PMID 42272385 · Publisher ↗
Many species of Colias butterflies show a female-limited colour polymorphism where the dominant Alba allele leads to white wings, faster development and higher fecundity (hypothesized to arise from not allocating resourc...
Many species of Colias butterflies show a female-limited colour polymorphism where the dominant Alba allele leads to white wings, faster development and higher fecundity (hypothesized to arise from not allocating resources to pteridine pigment production), while orange females are more attractive to males. Attractiveness can benefit females because males provide nutrient-rich spermatophores. Despite decades of research and a long-standing understanding of the associated life-history trade-off, earlier modelling work has been unable to show how this trade-off could generate frequency-dependent selection. We construct a model that shows the importance of phenology for this polymorphism's stability. When generations are non-overlapping or partially overlapping, and there is an eclosion order where males precede Alba females that precede orange females, females use partially distinct temporal niches. Theory on temporal niches, however, is known not to automatically guarantee coexistence; translated to our case, Alba monopolization of males early in the season might simply deplete mate availability for late-eclosing orange females. However, with sufficiently high male ability to replenish spermatophores, we find negative frequency-dependence where competition intensifies mainly within a morph if it becomes common. In summary, given realistic assumptions, the trade-off between development time and attractiveness can maintain a stable polymorphism in Colias butterflies. This article is part of the theme issue 'Exploring negative frequency dependent selection across levels: from genetics to ecology and back again'.
Maintenance of polymorphism, notably by net deleterious mutations, under the joint fluctuation of demography and selection in age-structured populations.
Kim Y
Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci · 2026 Jun · PMID 42272384 · Publisher ↗
How non-neutral genetic variation is maintained in natural populations is a fundamental question in evolutionary biology. With environmental fluctuations, the effect of a mutant allele on fitness may also fluctuate betwe...
How non-neutral genetic variation is maintained in natural populations is a fundamental question in evolutionary biology. With environmental fluctuations, the effect of a mutant allele on fitness may also fluctuate between beneficial and deleterious relative to the wild-type allele. If this fitness fluctuation is specific to individuals of a certain stage or age in the life cycle, negative frequency-dependent selection arises, leading to high levels of polymorphism. This effect of within-population heterogeneity in fluctuating selection is an example of a diversity-promoting mechanism known as the storage effect. To obtain further insights on this effect and explore the conditions of polymorphism, models of age-structured populations with increasing complexity were investigated. How the geometric mean fitness of a rare allele is modified under the joint fluctuation of demography and selection was analysed, yielding the prediction that mutations whose average effects on fitness are deleterious can be maintained in polymorphism. It was also found that adding minimum iteroparity to the conventional model of discrete non-overlapping generations fully exerts the storage effect. These results suggest that the storage effect is expected under general within-population heterogeneity and they reinforce the conclusion that significant non-neutral genetic variation is highly plausible in natural populations under fluctuating environments. This article is part of the theme issue 'Exploring negative frequency dependent selection across levels: from genetics to ecology and back again'.
Individual identity signatures: roles of negative frequency-dependent selection and cognition in shaping and maintaining individuality and trait diversity.
Sheehan MJ, Zipple MN
Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci · 2026 Jun · PMID 42272383 · Publisher ↗
Recognition is critical for a wide range of biological interactions from the immune system at the cellular level to individual recognition mediating complex animal social structures. Identity signatures are common featur...
Recognition is critical for a wide range of biological interactions from the immune system at the cellular level to individual recognition mediating complex animal social structures. Identity signatures are common features of many animal traits and facilitate self/non-self and individual recognition across diverse taxa. Inherently, identity signatures show high levels of intra-population phenotypic diversity. While the existence of individually distinctive traits has attracted much attention, the developmental mechanisms and evolutionary pressures shaping identity signature diversity have been less well studied. Here, we review the evidence that selection shapes the phenotypic diversity of individual identity signals used in a range of social and sexual contexts. Evidence from comparative, developmental and behavioural studies shows that selection often shapes phenotypes to be signals rather than cues of identity. Population genomic evidence implicates negative frequency-dependent selection maintaining identity signalling diversity in humans and mice. Like the extreme diversity seen at allorecognition loci, such as major histocompatibility complex (MHC) in animals and self-incompatibility in plants, social processes in animals are drivers of phenotypic and genetic diversity. However, the quantitative traits contributing to identity signals in animals are more complex than allorecognition loci and thus the consequences of selection for individual identity signals probably differ in multiple ways in terms of the maintenance of allelic diversity. The role of cognition in shaping identity signalling traits and long-term patterns of phenotypic and allelic variation and divergence across populations and species is discussed. This article is part of the Theme Issue 'Exploring negative frequency dependent selection across levels: from genetics to ecology and back again'.
Negative assortative mating: examples from coat colour in wolves, crown colour in sparrows and HLA in humans.
Hedrick P, Gonser R, Stahler D … +1 more , Cassidy K
Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci · 2026 Jun · PMID 42272382 · Publisher ↗
Maintenance of genetic variation which can be maintained by negative assortative mating is important for continued evolutionary response. Coat colour polymorphisms of dominant black coat colour in generally grey wolves i...
Maintenance of genetic variation which can be maintained by negative assortative mating is important for continued evolutionary response. Coat colour polymorphisms of dominant black coat colour in generally grey wolves is the result of a 3 base pair deletion in the beta-defensin gene. In and near Yellowstone National Park between 1995 and 2024, 59.3% of the matings were observed to be between wolves of different colour, while only 44.9% were expected to be. The dominant white-striped versus tan-striped crown in the white-throated sparrow is associated with inversions greater than 100 Mb in length. Overall, from 1988 to 2019, 98.0% of the observed pairings were between mates with different phenotypes, while only 50% were expected. The human leucocyte antigen (HLA) genes span a large region of about 3.6 megabase pairs on chromosome 6. Studies published in 1995 and 1997 suggested mating choice patterns based on differences in HLA. Since then, there have been a large number of studies that have not found decreased mate sharing of HLA alleles and found mating frequencies consistent with random-mating expectations. Overall, there are only a few well-documented cases of negative assortative mating in vertebrates with the two primary examples being coat colour polymorphism in wolves and crown colour polymorphism in sparrows. However, these examples indicate that negative assortative mating can be very significant and that further efforts to document it are warranted. This article is part of the theme issue 'Exploring negative frequency dependent selection across levels: from genetics to ecology and back again'.
Frequency-dependent selection and the evolution of continuous cheating strategies in plant-pollinator interactions.
Fornoni J, Ramos S, Alvarez-Martínez R … +2 more , Cordero C, Dominguez C
Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci · 2026 Jun · PMID 42272381 · Publisher ↗
We provide a conceptual framework and empirical evidence to support the hypothesis that within-individual and independent variation in floral reward and signal traits represents a continuous, variable cheating strategy....
We provide a conceptual framework and empirical evidence to support the hypothesis that within-individual and independent variation in floral reward and signal traits represents a continuous, variable cheating strategy. We propose that within-individual variation can reduce the ability of pollinators to punish cheaters and allow plants to save resources, thus acting as an effective mechanism of pollinator manipulation. We present a frequency-dependent model, simulations and analytical determination of equilibria complemented with two empirical cases supporting the hypothesis. Analyses showed that variable strategists are more likely to persist and coexist with cheater plants than with those that offer a predictable amount of reward (honest plants). Despite evidence of pollinator-mediated selection for floral honesty, honesty was not related to the total allocation of reward and dishonest (variable) plants are common in natural populations. Pollinator-mediated frequency-dependent selection can drive the evolution of more effective cheating strategies. Results suggest that honesty is not evolutionarily stable and can be replaced by populations composed of variable and cheater strategists, supporting the idea that within-individual variation in floral rewards and signals, as well as their association, may represent an underrecognized source of variation that can promote the evolution of stable cheating strategies in plant-pollinator interactions. This article is part of the theme issue 'Exploring negative frequency dependent selection across levels: from genetics to ecology and back again'.
Autopolyploidy exacerbates dominance masking under negative frequency-dependent selection: evidence from sporophytic self-incompatibility in Arabidopsis arenosa and Arabidopsis lyrata.
Vekemans X, Kolesnikova U, Vlček J … +7 more , Genete M, Dufour A, Welti R, Poux C, Castric V, Kolář F, Novikova PY
Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci · 2026 Jun · PMID 42272380 · Publisher ↗
Polyploidy is widespread within flowering plants, with 35% of extant species being recent polyploids. Whether and how polyploidy modulates the action of natural selection remains debated, and the particular case of balan...
Polyploidy is widespread within flowering plants, with 35% of extant species being recent polyploids. Whether and how polyploidy modulates the action of natural selection remains debated, and the particular case of balancing selection has been poorly explored. This study investigates the impact of autopolyploidy on sporophytic self-incompatibility in plants, a striking example of a genetic system evolving under a special form of balancing selection (strong negative frequency-dependent selection). Stochastic simulations reveal that under strict co-dominance, the number of S-alleles maintained in tetraploid populations is expected to double as compared with diploid populations. However, under a model with strict hierarchical dominance among alleles, the number of S-alleles increases only slightly, but gene diversity and observed heterozygosity are substantially reduced in tetraploids because of enhanced dominance masking effects. Empirical data on Arabidopsis arenosa and Arabidopsis lyrata confirm the latter predictions, showing similar levels of allelic diversity but dramatically lower observed and expected heterozygosity at the self-incompatibility locus in tetraploids compared with diploids. The study highlights the significant impact of autopolyploidy on patterns of diversity at the self-incompatibility locus, emphasizing the increased dominance effect in tetraploids. The results also allow us to reject a scenario of strong founder effects associated with the evolution of the polyploid lineages. This article is part of the theme issue 'Exploring negative frequency dependent selection across levels: from genetics to ecology and back again'.
Negative frequency-dependent behaviours in Trinidadian guppies (Poecilia reticulata): male-male aggression and dispersal.
Li A, Rodd FH
Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci · 2026 Jun · PMID 42272379 · Publisher ↗
Negative frequency-dependent (NFD) selection, a form of balancing selection where the fitness associated with a given phenotype or genotype is negatively correlated with its relative abundance in the population, is a par...
Negative frequency-dependent (NFD) selection, a form of balancing selection where the fitness associated with a given phenotype or genotype is negatively correlated with its relative abundance in the population, is a particularly powerful process that can contribute to the maintenance of genetic variation. Guppies (Poecilia reticulata) have been the focus of a number of studies of negative frequency-dependent selection (NFDS) for several reasons. Male Trinidadian guppies exhibit extreme variation in colour patterns and studies have shown that male guppies with rare morphs have both a survival and reproductive advantage over common morph males in the lab and in natural populations. The goal of this study was to determine whether changes in the mating strategies of common morph males, which are less preferred by female guppies, could contribute to the pattern of NFD survival observed in natural populations. We manipulated male morph frequency in an artificial stream setup and recorded male mating, aggressive and dispersal behaviours in the presence of females. Rare morph males that dispersed were significantly less likely to engage in aggressive interactions with other males in their trials before they moved, potentially providing them with enhanced opportunities to court and mate with females in their home pool. This article is part of the theme issue 'Exploring negative frequency dependent selection across levels: from genetics to ecology and back again'.
Origins and significance of preference for rare/novel male morphs: Trinidadian guppies as a case study.
Daniel MJ, Rodd FH
Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci · 2026 Jun · PMID 42272378 · Publisher ↗
Recent evidence suggests that negative frequency-dependent selection may be a pervasive explanation for the high genetic variation observed in ecologically important traits. Female mating preference for rare/novel male p...
Recent evidence suggests that negative frequency-dependent selection may be a pervasive explanation for the high genetic variation observed in ecologically important traits. Female mating preference for rare/novel male phenotypes is one process that can generate frequency-dependent selection and has been well documented in some highly polymorphic systems. However, two major gaps in the literature limit the current ability to predict the taxonomic prevalence of this mating preference. First, tests of this preference historically suffered from pitfalls that limited interpretability. We discuss best practices for designing convincing tests of preference for rare/novel morphs. We argue that the literature on guppies provides robust evidence of the preference in the laboratory and field, but published tests remain limited in other species and on traits other than morphological ones. Second, an evolutionary explanation for the preference remains elusive, making it difficult to predict the conditions in which the preference should arise and be maintained. We outline several hypotheses proposed to explain the preference and synthesize evidence supporting or contradicting them. For both gaps, we suggest key, tractable avenues for future work. We hope to stimulate research that will elucidate the evolutionary cause(s) of preference for rare/novel morphs and its potentially widespread role in maintaining genetic variation in natural populations. This article is part of the Theme Issue 'Exploring negative frequency dependent selection across levels: from genetics to ecology and back again'.
Correction: 'Variable efficacy of praziquantel among Schistosoma-infected ruminants of northern Senegal-a drug trial and population genetic study across two contrasting epidemiological regions' (2026), by Diaz et al.
Diaz AV, Diouf ND, Léger E … +7 more , Aguiar-Martins K, Borlase A, Binetou-Fall C, Cahen C, Sène M, Walker M, Webster JP
Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci · 2026 May · PMID 42206344 · Publisher ↗
Abstract loading — click title to view on PubMed.
Crossing below-ground boundaries: conceptualizing a framework for soil-borne pest spillover.
Mundim F, Cardoso J, Vieira-Neto E
Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci · 2026 May · PMID 42206343 · Publisher ↗
Soil-borne plant parasites and pathogens in agricultural landscapes can persist and disperse over time, yet their movement across habitat boundaries remains an underexplored but ecologically important process. While edge...
Soil-borne plant parasites and pathogens in agricultural landscapes can persist and disperse over time, yet their movement across habitat boundaries remains an underexplored but ecologically important process. While edge effects and cross-boundary movement have been widely studied in above-ground systems, below-ground dynamics-shaped by soil structure, host distribution and seasonal cycles-have received far less attention. In this review, we synthesize current knowledge on below-ground spillover, define key ecological mechanisms influencing its dynamics and propose a framework for understanding how soil-borne pests move, survive and interact across space and time-focusing on soil-borne parasites. We emphasize the role of habitat boundaries, edge permeability and seasonal feedback, integrating insights from landscape ecology, plant pathology and movement theory. To capture these dynamics, we introduce the Soil Spillover Framework (SSF), a multi-variable model incorporating persistence potential, trophic interactions, vector pathways, dispersal cost, buffering effects and biotic flow. We argue that buffer zones, soil structure and connectivity shape spillover probabilities in ways that are often nonlinear and temporally delayed. By conceptualizing below-ground boundaries as filters or amplifiers of spillover, this synthesis offers a foundation for predictive modelling and integrated management. Understanding how soil-borne pests move and persist across boundaries is critical for managing crop diseases, conserving biodiversity and designing resilient agroecosystems in a fragmented world. This article is part of the theme issue 'Wild plant pathosystems'.
Disentangling the mechanisms by which nitrogen enrichment affects consumer damage at different organizational levels.
Mannall T, Daniel C, Alessandrello V … +2 more , Kempel A, Allan E
Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci · 2026 May · PMID 42206342 · Publisher ↗
Nitrogen enrichment can affect primary consumers by increasing foliar nitrogen content, shifting plant communities towards fast-growing species or reducing plant diversity and increasing host concentration, but these mec...
Nitrogen enrichment can affect primary consumers by increasing foliar nitrogen content, shifting plant communities towards fast-growing species or reducing plant diversity and increasing host concentration, but these mechanisms may operate differently across organizational levels and consumer groups. We tested this in a grassland experiment manipulating nitrogen enrichment, plant species richness, fast-slow functional composition and foliar pathogen abundance. We quantified herbivore and pathogen damage at individual, population and community scales. Nitrogen enrichment affected consumer damage primarily through indirect effects mediated by plant community characteristics rather than through direct increases in damage. Plant growth strategy emerged as a key driver of consumer pressure across scales, particularly for pathogens, while herbivory depended on interactions between focal plant strategy, neighbourhood functional composition and spatial scale, indicating strong associational effects. Resource concentration effects were present but strongly contingent on consumer type and plant growth strategy: slow-growing species often experienced increased consumer damage at high conspecific frequency, whereas fast-growing species showed little response to host concentration and instead experienced greater damage in species-rich communities. Overall, the scalability of consumer damage depends on plant functional strategy and consumer specialization. Integrating consumer specialization with trait-based approaches is, therefore, essential for predicting plant-consumer interactions under global change. This article is part of the theme issue 'Wild plant pathosystems'.
Expression of concern: 'Phosphodiesterase-induced cAMP degradation restricts hepatitis B virus infection' (2019) by Evripioti et al.
Philosophical Transactions B Editorial Office
Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci · 2026 May · PMID 42206341 · Publisher ↗
Abstract loading — click title to view on PubMed.
Plant-associated phages across scales: ecological and evolutionary principles for a neglected virosphere.
Huerta AI, Joglekar P, Totsline N … +2 more , D'Amico-Willman KM, Ritchie DF
Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci · 2026 May · PMID 42206340 · Publisher ↗
Bacteriophages are abundant and influential members of plant-associated microbiomes, yet their ecological and evolutionary roles are less explored than those of marine, soil or clinical virospheres. This gap limits our c...
Bacteriophages are abundant and influential members of plant-associated microbiomes, yet their ecological and evolutionary roles are less explored than those of marine, soil or clinical virospheres. This gap limits our capacity to predict phage-bacterium interactions, understand microbial community dynamics and design robust phage-based strategies for managing diseases in plants. Here, we synthesize emerging evidence across spatial, temporal and biological scales to outline key principles that govern phage ecology in plant systems. Drawing on insights from well-characterized environments, including oceans, soils and the human gut, we highlight how spatial structure, host population genetics, environmental heterogeneity and fluctuating selection jointly shape infection outcomes and coevolution in plant microbiomes. Recent genomic and metaviromic findings further reveal that plant-associated phages can exhibit both long-term genomic stability and localized adaptive divergence, underscoring the importance of scale-aware ecological frameworks. We also identify major technical and conceptual bottlenecks that impede discovery, including plant and bacterial host-DNA contamination and the limited number of phage genomes isolated from plant ecosystems. By linking these ecological principles to applied challenges, such as the inconsistent field performance of phage-based biocontrol, this perspective offers a roadmap for advancing phage biology in plant systems and for resolving this neglected virosphere. This article is part of the theme issue 'Wild plant pathosystems'.
Do plant pathogens prefer seedlings? Variation in age-specific infectivity across pathogen genotypes.
Slowinski S, Li E, Love H … +1 more , Bruns E
Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci · 2026 May · PMID 42206339 · Publisher ↗
Across plant and animal species, juveniles are generally more susceptible to infectious pathogens than adults. A growing body of research has explored how age-specific resistance evolves and why juvenile susceptibility i...
Across plant and animal species, juveniles are generally more susceptible to infectious pathogens than adults. A growing body of research has explored how age-specific resistance evolves and why juvenile susceptibility is maintained in host populations. From the less well-studied pathogen's perspective, juvenile susceptibility means that most pathogens infect juvenile hosts more readily than adult hosts. In the present study, we investigated whether this pattern of age-specific infectivity varied across pathogen genotypes within a fungal pathogen species (Microbotryum lychnidis-dioicae) infecting a plant host (Silene latifolia). We inoculated four host genotypes with each of five pathogen genotypes at two different host ages (seedling and adult). We found significant interactions between pathogen genotype and host age, indicating variation in age-specific infectivity and suggesting that this important epidemiological trait can evolve in response to selection. Furthermore, we found that significant pathogen × host genotype interactions determine infection risk for juvenile hosts and vegetative adults, whereas infection risk for reproductive adults is primarily determined by the main effects of pathogen and host genotypes. This suggests that specific immunological interactions may be the main determinants of resistance for juveniles and non-reproductive adults. By contrast, more general resistance mechanisms, such as physical barriers, may be the primary resistance mechanisms in reproductive adults. This article is part of the theme issue 'Wild plant pathosystems'.
Yeast species interactions and composition modulate leaf rust severity in Populus trichocarpa.
Romero-Jiménez MJ, Pérez-Pazos E, Leopold DR … +2 more , Lebeis SL, Busby PE
Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci · 2026 May · PMID 42206338 · Publisher ↗
Plant microbiomes are recognized for increasing defence against pathogens. Yet, identifying the role of beneficial microbes beyond their individual effects remains poorly explored. In a series of in planta greenhouse exp...
Plant microbiomes are recognized for increasing defence against pathogens. Yet, identifying the role of beneficial microbes beyond their individual effects remains poorly explored. In a series of in planta greenhouse experiments, we tested the effects of individual foliar yeasts, yeast interactions and the combination of yeast richness and diversity on disease severity caused by the leaf rust pathogen Melampsora × columbiana in the model tree, Populus trichocarpa. We found that single yeasts can either antagonize or facilitate the rust; nevertheless, most yeasts did not modify disease severity. For some individual disease-modifying yeasts, interactions with additional yeasts changed the outcome of disease severity. In one case, a rust facilitator was neutralized by other interacting yeasts; in another, increasing richness in communities containing a rust antagonist was associated with increasing disease severity. However, we did not find evidence for a positive or negative relationship between yeast richness or diversity and disease severity overall. A follow-up in vitro experiment showed strong interspecific competition between yeasts, which might explain changes in disease severity with varying community membership. Our results highlight the role of microbial interactions and composition for plant disease severity, yet caution against interpreting plant microbiome richness or diversity as inherently disease protective. This article is part of the theme issue 'Wild plant pathosystems'.
Pathogen community assembly in a host population is associated with interannual variation in seasonal environmental conditions.
Grunberg RL, Halliday FW, O'Keeffe KR … +2 more , Joyner BN, Mitchell CE
Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci · 2026 May · PMID 42206337 · Publisher ↗
The seasonal timing of pathogen development, i.e. its phenology, may be determined by host or environmental cues and shape pathogen communities. Yet, it is less clear to what degree seasonal patterns of pathogen communit...
The seasonal timing of pathogen development, i.e. its phenology, may be determined by host or environmental cues and shape pathogen communities. Yet, it is less clear to what degree seasonal patterns of pathogen community assembly vary over longer timescales and how strongly variation is determined by local environmental factors. This raises two general questions: how repeatable is seasonal pathogen community assembly across years? If community assembly is not repeatable, what role does environmental variation play in driving differing patterns of pathogen phenology? To address these questions, we tracked fungal pathogen prevalences in a field population of grass, tall fescue (Lolium arundinaceum) , over 3 years and used multivariate analyses to test for concordance between pathogen community assembly and seasonal environmental conditions. Ordination analyses showed that pathogen communities began at a similar community state each spring but diverged among years as the growing season progressed. To examine this, we tested for concordance between variation in the whole pathogen community structure and environmental conditions. Dissimilarity in pathogen community assembly was largely explained by interannual variation in environmental conditions, with precipitation and relative humidity being most important. Taken together, our results suggest linkages between interannual variation in environmental conditions and pathogen community assembly. This article is part of the theme issue 'Wild plant pathosystems'.
Contrasting sensitivities to seasonal warming among co-occurring diseases.
Taberski S, Bruns EL, Antonovics J … +2 more , Carasso V, Hood ME
Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci · 2026 May · PMID 42206336 · Publisher ↗
Environmental variation can deviate from a pathogen's optimal conditions for symptom expression and transmission, changing disease dynamics and potentially altering the predominance and distribution of infections across...
Environmental variation can deviate from a pathogen's optimal conditions for symptom expression and transmission, changing disease dynamics and potentially altering the predominance and distribution of infections across host populations. Here, we assessed the co-occurrence and temperature sensitivity of two common, sterilizing, and persistent diseases of wild Silene vulgaris populations: anther smut (caused by Microbotryum silenes-inflatae) and receptacle smut (caused by Thecaphora melandrii). Using seasonal field surveys and experimental tests of temperature effects on disease expression and infection processes, we show that anther smut is highly sensitive to the summer temperatures experienced in the native range of this host-pathogen system, while co-occurring receptacle smut is not. Anther smut exhibited significantly lower disease prevalence in mid-summer than in spring or autumn seasons, resulting from temporary heat curing of symptoms. Summer temperatures also inhibited infection by anther smut. These results suggest that further environmental warming may lead to changes in the relative impact of these diseases on S. vulgaris, with the temperature-insensitive receptacle smut becoming more dominant in warmer areas or expanding its range to higher elevations where currently only anther smut is common. This article is part of the theme issue 'Wild plant pathosystems'.
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