Pathogen nutrient acquisition strategy mediates the strength of the diversity-disease relationships in natural grasslands

The relationship between biodiversity and disease risk is a cornerstone of disease ecology, yet predicting its direction and strength remains challenging. Pathogen life-history traits, particularly nutrient acquisition strategies, may be key to resolving this context-dependency, but their roles in mediating diversity–disease relationships are poorly understood. Here, we combine a large-scale survey spanning 2,000 km in natural grasslands with advanced statistical modelling to demonstrate that pathogen nutrient acquisition strategy is a critical mediator.