Plant viruses in the Great Smoky Mountain National Park

The project proposes continuation of study on viruses infecting succulent and lesser woody vegetation present in the Great Smoky Mountain National Park (GSMNP).

This proposal is based upon excellent data on plant viruses found in GSMNP during the 2007 DLIA-funded project. A number of viruses, in a major part novel species to science, were detected in different plant species collected throughout the Park (including Rubus spp., Vitis spp, Rhododendron, Viburnum, etc) indicating that plant virus community is much more rich and diversified than thought. Abundance of plant species/varieties present in the Great Smoky Mountain National Park represents an excellent substrate for this type of study.  This project has a strong potential to enrich the All Taxa Biodiversity Inventory (ATBI) of the GSMNP and may have larger scientific impact by discovering as yet undescribed plant virus species indigenous to this forest ecosystem.