Work

Mexico as a hotspot for plant virus evolution: eco-evolutionary regimes shaping viral emergence

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: Plant virus and viroid emergence in Mexico reflects the operation of distinct eco-evolutionary regimes rather than isolated epidemiological events. Mexico's pronounced agroecological heterogeneity, together with its status as a center of crop domestication and diversification, has generated long-term arenas for virus-host-vector coevolution, repeated viral introductions, and rapid adaptive diversification. In this perspective, we synthesize historical, epidemiological, and molecular evidence and organize it into three dominant eco-evolutionary regimes: endemic persistence shaped by long-term coevolution, evolutionary entrenchment following viral invasion, and rapid emergence driven by agricultural intensification and system connectivity. Case studies spanning annual and perennial crops illustrate how vector ecology, host genetic diversity, and production practices interact to shape viral evolutionary trajectories and epidemiological outcomes. Collectively, these regimes explain recurring patterns of plant virus and viroid emergence across Mexican agroecosystems and reveal shared evolutionary mechanisms underlying both long-term endemic stability and episodic epidemic outbreaks. We argue that recognizing and integrating these eco-evolutionary regimes provides a predictive framework for plant virus surveillance and embeds evolutionary principles into disease prevention and management strategies, not only in Mexico but in agroecological systems worldwide where similar structural and connectivity dynamics shape viral diversification.

Source: Frontiers in Plant Science

DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2026.1800439

Authors: Flor C. Alcántar-Aguirre, Erika J. Zamora-Macorra, Ubilfrido V. Gutiérrez, Jimena Carrillo-Tripp, Alfredo Diaz-Lara, Katia Aviña-Padilla