Community Page   See all article types »  Plant Virus
Biodiversity and Ecology    • Jonathan D Wren,   • Marilyn J
Roossinck,   • Richard S Nelson,   • Kay Scheets,   • Michael W
Palmer,   • Ulrich Melcher mail      To whom correspondence
should be addressed. E-mail:    • Published: March 14, 2006   •
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.0040080  The International Committee
for the Taxonomy of Viruses recognized a global total of about
2,000 species of viruses as of 2005 [1]. However, data on
viruses that infect terrestrial organisms, including plants, are
sparse, and recent sequencing of samples from marine
environments for viruses suggests that 2,000 is a gross
underestimate of the total number of viral species on earth [2].
In addition to the paucity of data on viral diversity, little is
known about the level of mixed virus infections or temporal
patterns of virus accumulation in native plants. For both social
and scientific reasons, it is important to extend our knowledge
of viruses and their hosts beyond those comb