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Tian Z, Li W, Kou Y, Dong X, Liu H, Yang X, Dong Q, Chen T. Effects of Different Livestock Grazing on Foliar Fungal Diseases in an Alpine Grassland on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. J Fungi (Basel) 2023; 9:949. [PMID: 37755057 PMCID: PMC10533196 DOI: 10.3390/jof9090949] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2023] [Revised: 09/15/2023] [Accepted: 09/19/2023] [Indexed: 09/28/2023] Open
Abstract
In grassland ecosystems, the occurrence and transmission of foliar fungal diseases are largely dependent on grazing by large herbivores. However, whether herbivores that have different body sizes differentially impact foliar fungal diseases remains largely unexplored. Thus, we conducted an 8-year grazing experiment in an alpine grassland on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau in China and tested how different types of livestock (sheep (Ovis aries), yak (Bos grunniens), or both)) affected foliar fungal diseases at the levels of both plant population and community. At the population level, grazing by a single species (yak or sheep) or mixed species (sheep and yak) significantly decreased the severity of eight leaf spot diseases. Similarly, at the community level, both single species (yak or sheep) and mixed grazing by both sheep and yak significantly decreased the community pathogen load. However, we did not find a significant difference in the community pathogen load among different types of livestock. These results suggest that grazing by large herbivores, independently of livestock type, consistently decreased the prevalence of foliar fungal diseases at both the plant population and community levels. We suggest that moderate grazing by sheep or yak is effective to control the occurrence of foliar fungal diseases in alpine grasslands. This study advances our knowledge of the interface between disease ecology, large herbivores, and grassland science.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhen Tian
- State Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agro-Ecosystems, Center for Grassland Microbiome, College of Pastoral Agricultural Science and Technology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China; (Z.T.); (W.L.); (Y.K.); (X.D.); (H.L.)
| | - Wenjie Li
- State Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agro-Ecosystems, Center for Grassland Microbiome, College of Pastoral Agricultural Science and Technology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China; (Z.T.); (W.L.); (Y.K.); (X.D.); (H.L.)
| | - Yixin Kou
- State Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agro-Ecosystems, Center for Grassland Microbiome, College of Pastoral Agricultural Science and Technology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China; (Z.T.); (W.L.); (Y.K.); (X.D.); (H.L.)
| | - Xin Dong
- State Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agro-Ecosystems, Center for Grassland Microbiome, College of Pastoral Agricultural Science and Technology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China; (Z.T.); (W.L.); (Y.K.); (X.D.); (H.L.)
| | - Huining Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agro-Ecosystems, Center for Grassland Microbiome, College of Pastoral Agricultural Science and Technology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China; (Z.T.); (W.L.); (Y.K.); (X.D.); (H.L.)
| | - Xiaoxia Yang
- Qinghai Provincial Key Laboratory of Adaptive Management on Alpine Grassland, Qinghai Academy of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Qinghai University, Xining 810016, China; (X.Y.); (Q.D.)
| | - Quanmin Dong
- Qinghai Provincial Key Laboratory of Adaptive Management on Alpine Grassland, Qinghai Academy of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Qinghai University, Xining 810016, China; (X.Y.); (Q.D.)
| | - Tao Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agro-Ecosystems, Center for Grassland Microbiome, College of Pastoral Agricultural Science and Technology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China; (Z.T.); (W.L.); (Y.K.); (X.D.); (H.L.)
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Zhang Y, Xin X, Matthew C, Christensen MJ, Nan Z. Pathogen Identification and Factors Influencing Infection Frequency and Severity of Fungal Rust in Four Native Grasses in Hulunber Grassland, China. PLANT DISEASE 2022; 106:3040-3049. [PMID: 35596246 DOI: 10.1094/pdis-08-21-1802-re] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
A serious rust infection present in 2014 and 2015 on the dominant grass species (Leymus chinensis) in the Hulunber grassland of Inner Mongolia, China, and also present on three other grass species (Agropyron cristatum [wheat grass], Bromus inermis, and Festuca ovina) was investigated. Field surveys, laboratory determination of morphological characteristics, pathogenicity tests, and molecular identification methods were integrated to identify two rust-causing pathogens on L. chinensis. It was found that Puccinia elymi was the major pathogen of L. chinensis, and also infected A. cristatum and F. ovina. This is the first report of P. elymi on A. cristatum in China. P. striiformis caused stripe rust on L. chinensis and B. inermis. The incidence and severity of rust infection increased through the growing season, presumably from asexual spread by urediniospores, and was higher on grass species phylogenetically more closely related to common crop hosts of the pathogens. High host grass density and presence of a potential alternate host for P. elymi, Thalictrum squarrosum, were two further factors promoting rust incidence. These results provide insight into ecological factors linked to the rust epidemic and provide a theoretical basis for the formulation of control strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yawen Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Grassland Agro-ecosystems; Key Laboratory of Grassland Livestock Industry Innovation, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs; College of Pastoral Agricultural Science and Technology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730020, P.R. China
- School of Pharmacy, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, P.R. China
| | - Xiaoping Xin
- National Hulunber Grassland Ecosystem Observation and Research Station, Institute of Agricultural Resources and Regional Planning; Chinese Academy of Agricultural Science, Beijing 10081, P.R. China
| | - Cory Matthew
- School of Agriculture and Environment, Massey University, Private Bag 11-222, Palmerston North 4442, New Zealand
| | - Michael J Christensen
- AgResearch, Grasslands Research Centre, Private Bag 11-008, Palmerston North 4442, New Zealand (Retired)
| | - Zhibiao Nan
- State Key Laboratory of Grassland Agro-ecosystems; Key Laboratory of Grassland Livestock Industry Innovation, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs; College of Pastoral Agricultural Science and Technology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730020, P.R. China
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Mipam TD, Chen F, Tian L, Zhang P, Huang M, Chen L, Wang X, Zhang P, Lin Z, Liu X. Plant community-mediated effects of grazing on plant diseases. Oecologia 2022; 199:897-905. [PMID: 35907123 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-022-05223-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2021] [Accepted: 07/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Grazing is one of the most important management practices for grasslands. To date, most studies on how grazing affects plant diseases have focused on a single plant species, ignoring plant community characteristics and phylogeny. We used data from a 6-year yak grazing experiment (0, 1, 2, and 3 yak(s) ha - 1 treatment) in an alpine meadow ecosystem of Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau, from which we tested grazing effects on foliar fungal diseases at both population and community levels. By measuring plant community variables (including richness, evenness, phylogenetic diversity, and composition) and disease severity, we evaluated the relative importance of plant community-mediated effects of yak grazing on community pathogen load with a multi-model inference approach. We found significant differences in pathogen load among different grazing treatments; we recorded the highest and lowest pathogen loads in the 1 yak ha - 1 treatment and in the 3 yaks ha - 1 treatment, respectively. Pielou's evenness index and community proneness (i.e., an estimate of the capacity of plant communities to support diseases) best explained variation in pathogen load, indicating that plant community-mediated effects (through evenness and proneness) of yak grazing determined pathogen load. Our study provides empirical evidence that grazing influences foliar fungal disease prevalence through plant community evenness and composition, which demonstrates the necessity of incorporating host plant community characteristics into disease load prediction frameworks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tserang Donko Mipam
- Sichuan Zoige Alpine Wetland Ecosystem National Observation and Research Station, Institute of Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau, Southwest Minzu University, Chengdu, 610041, People's Republic of China
| | - Fei Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Grassland Agro-Ecosystems & College of Ecology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, People's Republic of China
| | - Liming Tian
- Sichuan Zoige Alpine Wetland Ecosystem National Observation and Research Station, Key Laboratory for Bio-Resource and Eco-Environment of Ministry of Education, College of Life Sciences, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610065, People's Republic of China
| | - Pei Zhang
- Sichuan Zoige Alpine Wetland Ecosystem National Observation and Research Station, Key Laboratory for Bio-Resource and Eco-Environment of Ministry of Education, College of Life Sciences, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610065, People's Republic of China
| | - Mengjiao Huang
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Biodiversity Science and Ecological Engineering, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, 2005 Songhu Road, Shanghai, 200438, People's Republic of China
| | - Lifan Chen
- School of Arts and Sciences, Shanghai University of Medicine and Health Sciences, Shanghai, 201318, People's Republic of China
| | - Xingxing Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Grassland Agro-Ecosystems & College of Ecology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, People's Republic of China
| | - Peng Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Grassland Agro-Ecosystems & College of Ecology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, People's Republic of China
| | - Ziyuan Lin
- State Key Laboratory of Grassland Agro-Ecosystems & College of Ecology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, People's Republic of China
| | - Xiang Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Grassland Agro-Ecosystems & College of Ecology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, People's Republic of China.
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Liu Y, Duan D, Jiang F, Tian Z, Feng X, Wu N, Hou F, Kardol P, Nan Z, Chen T. Long‐term heavy grazing increases community‐level foliar fungal diseases by shifting plant composition. J Appl Ecol 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2664.14093] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Yong Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Grassland Agro‐ecosystems Center for Grassland Microbiome College of Pastoral Agricultural Science and Technology Lanzhou University Lanzhou China
- Industrial Crop Research Institute of Sichuan Academy of Agricultural Sciences Chengdu China
| | - Dongdong Duan
- State Key Laboratory of Grassland Agro‐ecosystems Center for Grassland Microbiome College of Pastoral Agricultural Science and Technology Lanzhou University Lanzhou China
| | - Feifei Jiang
- State Key Laboratory of Grassland Agro‐ecosystems Center for Grassland Microbiome College of Pastoral Agricultural Science and Technology Lanzhou University Lanzhou China
| | - Zhen Tian
- State Key Laboratory of Grassland Agro‐ecosystems Center for Grassland Microbiome College of Pastoral Agricultural Science and Technology Lanzhou University Lanzhou China
| | - Xiaoxuan Feng
- State Key Laboratory of Grassland Agro‐ecosystems Center for Grassland Microbiome College of Pastoral Agricultural Science and Technology Lanzhou University Lanzhou China
| | - Nana Wu
- State Key Laboratory of Grassland Agro‐ecosystems Center for Grassland Microbiome College of Pastoral Agricultural Science and Technology Lanzhou University Lanzhou China
| | - Fujiang Hou
- State Key Laboratory of Grassland Agro‐ecosystems Center for Grassland Microbiome College of Pastoral Agricultural Science and Technology Lanzhou University Lanzhou China
| | - Paul Kardol
- Department of Forest Ecology and Management Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences Umeå Sweden
| | - Zhibiao Nan
- State Key Laboratory of Grassland Agro‐ecosystems Center for Grassland Microbiome College of Pastoral Agricultural Science and Technology Lanzhou University Lanzhou China
| | - Tao Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Grassland Agro‐ecosystems Center for Grassland Microbiome College of Pastoral Agricultural Science and Technology Lanzhou University Lanzhou China
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Liu M, Mipam TD, Wang X, Zhang P, Lin Z, Liu X. Contrasting effects of mammal grazing on foliar fungal diseases: patterns and potential mechanisms. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2021; 232:345-355. [PMID: 33666239 DOI: 10.1111/nph.17324] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2020] [Accepted: 03/01/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Plant pathogens and their hosts often coexist with mammal grazers. However, the direction and strength of grazing effects on foliar fungal diseases can be idiosyncratic, varying among host plant species and pathogen types. We combined a 6 yr yak-grazing experiment, a clipping experiment simulating different mammal consumption patterns (leaf damage vs whole-leaf removal), and a meta-analysis of 63 comparisons to evaluate how grazing impacts foliar fungal diseases across plant growth types (grass vs forb) and pathogen life histories (biotroph vs necrotroph). In the yak-grazing experiment, grazing had no significant effect on disease severity, and grasses experienced a higher disease severity than forbs; there was a significant interaction between pathogen type and grazing. In both the yak-grazing experiment and meta-analysis, grazing decreased biotrophic pathogens (mainly rusts and powdery mildew), but did not affect necrotrophic pathogens (mainly leaf spots). The clipping experiment suggested that grazers might promote infection by necrotrophic pathogens by producing wounds on leaves, but inhibit biotrophic pathogens via leaf removal. In conclusion, our three-part approach revealed that intrinsic properties of both plants and pathogens shape patterns of disease in natural ecosystems, greatly improving our ability to predict disease severity under mammal grazing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mu Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Grassland Agro-Ecosystems & Institute of Innovation Ecology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, China
- National Observation and Research Station for Yangtze Estuarine Wetland Ecosystems, Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Biodiversity Science and Ecological Engineering, Institute of Biodiversity Science, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200438, China
| | - Tserang Donko Mipam
- Institute of Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau, Southwest Minzu University, Chengdu, 610041, China
| | - Xingxing Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Grassland Agro-Ecosystems & Institute of Innovation Ecology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, China
| | - Peng Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Grassland Agro-Ecosystems & Institute of Innovation Ecology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, China
| | - Ziyuan Lin
- State Key Laboratory of Grassland Agro-Ecosystems & Institute of Innovation Ecology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, China
| | - Xiang Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Grassland Agro-Ecosystems & Institute of Innovation Ecology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, China
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