Back to index
Back to handheld edition
Issue 52 | May 2009
Co-evolution of plants and their
pathogens, focus of this research
Photo by Carl Davis
The relationship between organisms that cause diseases and their plant hosts in natural systems is the topic of a recent review by two Plant Industry researchers, Jeremy Burdon and Pete Thrall.
The article, published in the journal Science on 8 May, stresses the value of research on the ecology and evolution of plants and their pathogens as models to understand co-evolution in other biological systems. Examples include immune systems in mammals, weed biocontrol and the effects of exotic introductions on ecosystems.
The authors also point out the necessity of studying co-evolution at different levels of organisation, from genes to ecosystems, and the important role of life history traits such as reproductive systems and dispersal mechanisms.
