Plant Virus Ecology Network (PVEN)

Research Coordination Network

Profound advances in understanding the ecology of both viruses and higher organisms

Plant Virus Biodiversity

& Ecology

EPSCoR

NSF

EcologistsVector

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 plant-associated 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

R. S. Redman et al., Science 298, 1581 (2002)

Plant Virus Ecology Example: Thermotolerance

Plant Virus Ecology Example: Invasive Plants

C.M. Malmström, R. Shu, E.W. Linton, L. A. Newton, M. A. Cook (2007) J. Ecology (on line)

Native perennialbunchgrasses

Exotic annual grasses

Avena spp.Bromus spp.Lolium multiflorum

Nassella spp.Elymus spp.Koeleria macranthaand many others….

Two Worlds of Biological Science

Molecularmechanisms

Ecologicalcomplexity

Plant Virus Ecology

One World of Biological Science

Molecular Ecological

Plant Virus Ecology

•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 Sample Questions

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

• 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

PVEN To-do List(Infrastructure)

http://bioinfosu.biochem.okstate.edu/pve_rcn/

Parameter Ag. systems Natural ecosystem

Species diversity Low High

Genotypic diversity Low High

Cohort ages Identical Variable

Resource competition Reduced Usually high

Herbivory Reduced Substantial

Ecology in Agricultural & Natural Ecosystems

C. Malmströms' view

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 (biocukm@okstate.edu) your name. For those with no e-mail listed in the program and who give me a name: give an e-mail address, too.

Plant Virus Ecology Network (PVEN)

Research Coordination Network

Profound advances in understanding the ecology of both viruses and higher organisms

Plant Virus Biodiversity

& Ecology

EPSCoR

NSF

EcologistsVector

specialists