Cheatham M R, Rouse M N, Esker P D, Ignacio S, Pradel W, Raymundo R, Sparks A H, Forbes G A, Gordon T R, Garrett K A
Department of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering, Iowa State University, Ames 50011, USA.
Phytopathology. 2009 Nov;99(11):1228-36. doi: 10.1094/PHYTO-99-11-1228.
The ecosystem services concept provides a means to define successful disease management more broadly, beyond short-term crop yield evaluations. Plant disease can affect ecosystem services directly, such as through removal of plants providing services, or indirectly through the effects of disease management activities, including pesticide applications, tillage, and other methods of plant removal. Increased plant biodiversity may reduce disease risk if susceptible host tissue becomes less common, or may increase risk if additional plant species are important in completing pathogen life cycles. Arthropod and microbial biodiversity may play similar roles. Distant ecosystems may provide a disservice as the setting for the evolution of pathogens that later invade a focal ecosystem, where plants have not evolved defenses. Conversely, distant ecosystems may provide a service as sources of genetic resources of great value to agriculture, including disease resistance genes. Good policies are needed to support conservation and optimal use of genetic resources, protect ecosystems from exotic pathogens, and limit the homogeneity of agricultural systems. Research is needed to provide policy makers, farmers, and consumers with the information required for evaluating trade-offs in the pursuit of the full range of ecosystem services desired from managed and native ecosystems.
生态系统服务概念提供了一种手段，能更广泛地定义成功的病害管理，而不仅仅局限于短期作物产量评估。植物病害可直接影响生态系统服务，比如通过移除提供服务的植物来实现，或者间接通过病害管理活动的影响，包括施用农药、耕作以及其他植物移除方法。如果易感寄主组织变得不那么常见，植物生物多样性增加可能会降低病害风险；但如果其他植物物种在病原体生命周期的完成中起重要作用，植物生物多样性增加则可能会增加病害风险。节肢动物和微生物多样性可能发挥类似作用。遥远的生态系统可能会带来不利影响，成为病原体进化的场所，这些病原体随后会入侵一个重点生态系统，而该生态系统中的植物尚未进化出防御机制。相反，遥远的生态系统可能会提供一种服务，作为对农业具有巨大价值的遗传资源来源，包括抗病基因。需要制定良好的政策来支持遗传资源的保护和优化利用，保护生态系统免受外来病原体侵害，并限制农业系统的同质性。需要开展研究，为政策制定者、农民和消费者提供所需信息，以便在追求从管理生态系统和原生生态系统中获得的全方位生态系统服务时评估权衡取舍。
