Inference of parasite local adaptation using two different fitness components

Estimating parasite fitness is central to studies aiming to understand parasite evolution. Theoretical models generally use the basic reproductive rate R(0) to express fitness, yet it is very difficult to quantify R(0) empirically and experimental studies often use fitness components such as infection intensity or infectivity as substitutes. These surrogate measures may be biased in several ways. We assessed local adaptation of the microsporidium Ordospora colligata to its host, the crustacean Daphnia magna using two different parasite fitness components: infection persistence over several host generations in experimental populations and infection intensity in individual hosts. We argue that infection persistence is a close estimator of R(0), whereas infection intensity measures only a component of it. Both measures show a pattern that is consistent with parasite local adaptation and they correlate positively. However, several inconsistencies between them suggest that infection intensity may at times provide an inadequate estimate of parasite fitness.