Speaker
Description
Viruses are exceedingly numerous and diverse biological objects. Though for a long time viruses have been studied in terms of their medical and economic importance, now interest to their ecological role in terrestrial ecosystems is growing.
Currently, the main areas of research on viruses in terrestrial ecosystems include
- viruses of medical, veterinary, and agricultural importance causing diseases and economical loses (Andret-Link, Fuchs, 2005; Wille, Holmes, 2020);
- viral agents of biological control of pests (Kalawate, 2014);
- virus-induced behavioral changes in interactions of hosts with other individuals and with the environment (Hsu et al., 2019);
- effects of viruses on shaping flows of matter and energy in food webs (Williamson et al., 2017).
Besides being entities of medical, ecological and economic importance, viruses are also sources of molecular data clarifying processes of viral and cellular evolution and the history of virus-host interactions (Manrubia, Lázaro, 2006).
In addition, merging the data on viruses’ diversity and distribution in terrestrial ecosystems and food-webs’ topography, it is potentially possible to make a new use of viral data for clarifying food-webs’ and ecosystems’ structure and functioning.
Andret-Link, P., Fuchs, M. (2005). Transmission specificity of plant viruses by vectors. Journal of Plant Pathology, 153-165.
Hsu, H.W. et al. (2019). The association between virus prevalence and intercolonial aggression levels in the yellow crazy ant, Anoplolepis gracilipes (Jerdon). Insects, 10(12), 436.
Kalawate, A.S. (2014). Microbial viral insecticides. Basic and applied aspects of biopesticides, 47-68.
Manrubia, S.C., Lázaro, E. (2006). Viral evolution. Physics of Life Reviews, 3(2), 65-92.
Wille, M., Holmes, E.C. (2020). The ecology and evolution of influenza viruses. Cold Spring Harbor perspectives in medicine, 10(7), a038489.
Williamson, K.E. et al. (2017). Viruses in soil ecosystems: an unknown quantity within an unexplored territory. Annual review of virology, 4(1), 201-219.
| Status Group | Doctoral Researcher |
|---|---|
| Poster Presentation Option | No, I prefer to present only as a talk. |
