Future Scenarios for Plant Virus Pathogens as Climate Change Progresses

• Published in: Advances in virus research Vol. 95; p. 87
• Main Author: Jones, R A C
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States 2016
• Subjects: Animals; Aphids - virology; Carbon Dioxide - chemistry; Climate; Climate Change; Ecosystem; Food Supply - statistics & numerical data; Greenhouse Effect - statistics & numerical data; Insect Vectors - virology; Models, Statistical; Plant Diseases - virology; Plant Viruses - pathogenicity; Plant Viruses - physiology; Plant Weeds - physiology; Plants - virology; Crop losses; Virus vectors; Control measures; Food insecurity; Natural ecosystems; Extreme weather events; Climate instability; Climate change; Plant biodiversity; Agriculture; Global warming; Future prospects; New technologies; Research requirements; Plant virus epidemics
• ISSN: 1557-8399; 1557-8399
• DOI: 10.1016/bs.aivir.2016.02.004

Knowledge of how climate change is likely to influence future virus disease epidemics in cultivated plants and natural vegetation is of great importance to both global food security and natural ecosystems. However, obtaining such knowledge is hampered by the complex effects of climate alterations on the behavior of diverse types of vectors and the ease by which previously unknown viruses can emerge. A review written in 2011 provided a comprehensive analysis of available data on the effects of climate change on virus disease epidemics worldwide. This review summarizes its findings and those of two earlier climate change reviews and focuses on describing research published on the subject since 2011. It describes the likely effects of the full range of direct and indirect climate change parameters on hosts, viruses and vectors, virus control prospects, and the many information gaps and deficiencies. Recently, there has been encouraging progress in understanding the likely effects of some climate change parameters, especially over the effects of elevated CO2, temperature, and rainfall-related parameters, upon a small number of important plant viruses and several key insect vectors, especially aphids. However, much more research needs to be done to prepare for an era of (i) increasingly severe virus epidemics and (ii) increasing difficulties in controlling them, so as to mitigate their detrimental effects on future global food security and plant biodiversity.