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Avoid, attack or do both? Behavioral and physiological adaptations in natural enemies faced with novel hosts
Corinne Vacher1, Sam P Brown, Michael E Hochberg
1Equipe Biologie des Populations en Interaction, Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (UMR1112), 06903 Sophia-Antipolis Cedex, France. vacher@antibes.inra.fr
BMC Evolutionary Biology
|November 8, 2005
Summary
Enemies may benefit from simultaneously evolving behavioral avoidance and physiological resistance to novel host defenses, especially when hosts are rare. The spatial distribution of defended hosts influences the balance between these adaptive strategies.
Area of Science:
- Evolutionary biology
- Ecology
- Mathematical modeling
Background:
- Enemies face novel host defenses, requiring adaptation.
- Investigating whether to adapt behaviorally (avoidance), physiologically (neutralization), or both.
- Empirical data suggests combined strategies can be effective.
Purpose of the Study:
- Model the joint evolution of behavioral and physiological adaptations.
- Identify conditions favoring simultaneous investment in both strategies.
- Determine factors influencing the relative investment in each adaptation.
Main Methods:
- Developed a mathematical model.
- Analyzed conditions for joint adaptation.
- Studied factors affecting trait allocation.
Main Results:
- Simultaneous investment is favored when trait costs accelerate and defended hosts are rare.
- Behavioral adaptation is prioritized when defended hosts are rare or aggregated.
- Host spatial structure is a key factor in strategy allocation.
Conclusions:
- Physiological resistance and behavioral avoidance can be simultaneously optimal.
- Host spatial structure dictates the balance between avoidance and resistance.
- Findings have implications for managing invasive species and pest resistance.