Foliar fungal pathogens along an elevation gradient in Tibetan alpine meadow

Foliar fungal diseases have a great influence on both photosynthesis and ecosystem function. However, information on how the elevation gradient (which is one of the most important biogeographic factors) affects foliar fungal diseases is scarce. Here, we did an investigation along 3200 m ~ 4000 m in an alpine meadow and arranged 30 quadrats collecting data of foliar fungal diseases, plant composition and soil properties to study the plant community-mediated (through changes in plant biomass, diversity, phylogenetic structure and community composition) and soil-mediated (through changes in soil properties) effects of elevation on community-level foliar fungal diseases. Based on linear models, we found that elevation did not significantly affect most of the individual plant species disease severity and community pathogen load. Meanwhile, a combination of community proneness and Pielou’s evenness index was the best model in predicting pathogen load. The structural equation model further con...