After 100 years, is coevolution relevant?

Abstract

On the 100th anniversary of the introduction of Cronartium ribicola into western North America, it is fitting to assess the philosophical foundation of plant pathology and forest ecology. We should ask whether this foundation provides sufficient understanding of blister rust, other diseases of North American forests, and general forest ecology to insure the application of biologically appropriate and sustainable management scenarios. Perhaps the most significant advances in understanding how host-pest interactions fit into the scope of biology have occurred in the last 10 years. This review focuses on an introduction to four recent developments that are fundamental to our understanding of how life originated, evolves, and functions. First, the almost universally accepted model of life, the Modern Synthesis (Huxley 1942), has provided biologists with a solid philosophical foundation for 70 years. In particular, this model has provided the theoretical basis for population genetics (Stern and Orgogozo 2009).

Citation

McDonald, Geral I. 2011. After 100 years, is coevolution relevant? In: Fairweather, Mary Lou; Palacios, Patsy, comps. Proceedings of the 58th Annual Western International Forest Disease Work Conference; 2010 October 4-8; Valemount, BC. Flagstaff, AZ: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, AZ Zone Forest Health. p. 77-90.