Loss of a belowground mutualist disrupts a fundamental biodiversity-disease relationship

Abstract

Diverse ecological communities can reduce pathogen transmission; a phenomenon known as the dilution effect of biodiversity. This effect, in turn, depends on variation in host species' ability to spread disease (i.e., host competence) and which host species persist under biodiversity loss. Mutualistic symbionts can influence host competence and are sensitive to variation in host biodiversity; yet whether mutualists can modify dilution effects is unknown, partially because quantifying host competence during epidemics remains challenging. We experimentally tested whether mutualists could modify dilution effects by establishing gradients of host species richness, community competence, and access to the below-ground arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus (AMF), Rhizoglomus irregulare. Plant hosts were then exposed to the fungal root pathogen, Rhizoctonia solani, and disease spread was monitored over the course of an epidemic. Overall, host richness did not affect epidemic outcomes. Instead, AMF inoculation increased disease risk via species-specific increases in host competence. Moreover, communities containing highly competent host species experienced more disease, but only in the presence of mutualistic AMF. These results underscore the importance of plant community composition in mycorrhiza-mediated disease dynamics and suggest that predicting disease in our changing world might require a deeper understanding of host-symbiont and pathogen-symbiont interactions under global change.