Effects of global change drivers on the susceptibility of wild plants to pathogenic diseases

Ongoing human activities are causing major global environmental changes (e.g., warming, nutrient enrichment, and shifts in precipitation levels), which are negatively affecting the structure and functioning of Earth’s ecosystems. These environmental changes have been shown to intensify or weaken plant-pathogen interactions and the extent of diseases they cause. To date, however, a comprehensive quantitative synthesis of the effects of major global environmental changes on plant-pathogen interactions is still lacking. Here, we are evaluating the effects of nutrient enrichment, warming, drought, and major global environmental changes on the susceptibility and severity of diseases caused by plant pathogens. To date, we have compiled data of 183 cases of study from 18 papers and performed a meta-analysis of the effects of nutrient enrichment, warming, and drought, on wild-plant diseases caused by a variety of pathogens including bacteria, fungi, and viruses. Insights from this meta-analysis may help better predict how anthropogenic changes may be driving the prevalence of these plant-pathogen interactions. Understanding how global change drivers affect plant-pathogen interactions is crucial to better predict the outcome of infectious plant diseases and to improve our ability to mitigate their effects.Presented at the annual Celebration of Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity while the author was an undergraduate student at Rutgers University-Camden