Data for: Advanced infections by cucurbit yellow stunting disorder virus encourage whitefly vector colonization while discouraging non-vector aphid competitors

Plant viruses can change hosts in ways that increase vector contacts, virion acquisition, and subsequent vector dispersal to susceptible hosts. Based on this, researchers have proposed that virus-induced phenotypes are the product of adaptations to “manipulate” hosts in ways that increase transmission. Theoretical models of virus spread in crops support this proposition; “manipulative” viruses spread faster and to a greater extent. However, both empirical and theoretical studies on manipulation are disproportionately focused on a few persistently transmitted pathogens, and rarely consider the broader ecological implications of virus infections . To address these knowledge gaps, we documented the effects of different stages of infection by an economically devastating, semi-persistently transmitted crinivirus, Cucurbit yellow stunting disorder virus [CYSDV] on Cucumis melo (muskmelon) phenotypes, behavior and performance of whitefly vectors (Bemisia tabaci) and non-vector aphid competitor...