Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Symbiosis

Symbiosis

Symbiotic relationships are long-term, close interactions between individuals of different species that affect the distribution and abundance of those species. When a relationship is beneficial to both species, this is called mutualism. When the relationship is beneficial to one species but neither beneficial nor harmful to the other species, this is called commensalism. When one organism is harmed to benefit another, the relationship is known as parasitism. These types of relationships often...

Microbial Interactions: Parasitism

Microbial Interactions: Parasitism

Parasitism is a form of microbial interaction in which parasitic microbes exploit a host organism for nutrients and shelter, often at the host's expense. Unlike mutualistic relationships, where both organisms benefit, parasitism benefits only the parasite and harms the host.Classification of ParasitesMicrobial parasites are broadly classified based on their location relative to the host.Ectoparasites remain on the host’s surface, such as the skin or outer tissues, drawing nutrients...

Microbial Interactions: Competition

Microbial Interactions: Competition

Microbial competition is an ecological interaction in which microorganisms vie for limited resources within shared environments. These resources may include nutrients, space, or light, depending on the system. The intensity and outcome of competition are influenced by the environmental context, such as nutrient availability, spatial constraints, and the diversity of microbial species present. These competitive interactions significantly influence the structure, function, and resilience of...

Predator-Prey Interactions

Predator-Prey Interactions

Predators consume prey for energy. Predators that acquire prey and prey that avoid predation both increase their chances of survival and reproduction (i.e., fitness). Routine predator-prey interactions elicit mutual adaptations that improve predator offenses, such as claws, teeth, and speed, as well as prey defenses, including crypsis, aposematism, and mimicry. Thus, predator-prey interactions resemble an evolutionary arms race.Although predation is commonly associated with carnivory, for...

Diversity of Protists I

Diversity of Protists I

Excavata is a diverse group of protists that includes both chemoorganotrophic and phototrophic species, with some thriving in anaerobic environments. Among the key groups within Excavata are diplomonads and parabasalids, which are flagellated protists that lack mitochondria and chloroplasts. These microorganisms typically inhabit anoxic environments, such as the intestines of animals, where they exist either symbiotically or as parasites, relying on fermentation for energy production. Some...

Frequency-dependent Selection

Frequency-dependent Selection

When the fitness of a trait is influenced by how common it is (i.e., its frequency) relative to different traits within a population, this is referred to as frequency-dependent selection. Frequency-dependent selection may occur between species or within a single species. This type of selection can either be positive—with more common phenotypes having higher fitness—or negative, with rarer phenotypes conferring increased fitness.Positive Frequency-Dependent SelectionIn positive...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Wearing face masks to protect oneself and/or others: Counter-intuitive results from a simple epidemic model accounting for selfish and altruistic human behavior.

Journal of theoretical biology·2026

Same author

Opportunities and Challenges in Combining Optical Sensing and Epidemiological Modeling.

Phytopathology·2025

Same author

What maintains variation in flower accessibility to pollinators in plant communities? A simulation study.

BMC ecology and evolution·2025

Same author

Dynamics of Insects and Their Facultative Defensive Endosymbiotic Bacteria: A Simulation Model.

Ecology and evolution·2024

Same author

Optimizing the releasing strategy used for the biological control of the sugarcane borer Diatraea saccharalis by Trichogramma galloi with computer modeling and simulation.

Scientific reports·2024

Same author

Why do predators attack parasitized prey? Insights from a probabilistic model and a literature survey.

Behavioural processes·2024

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 11, 2026

Probing the Limits of Egg Recognition Using Egg Rejection Experiments Along Phenotypic Gradients

Probing the Limits of Egg Recognition Using Egg Rejection Experiments Along Phenotypic Gradients

Published on: August 22, 2018

Superparasitism as a differential game.

Frédéric Hamelin¹, Pierre Bernhard, Eric Wajnberg

¹CNRS and Université de Nice, Sophia Antipolis, I3S, Ecole Polytechnique, 930 route des colles, 06903 Sophia Antipolis, France. hamelin@polytech.unice.fr

Theoretical Population Biology

|September 25, 2007

Summary

Female parasitoids face a game theory dilemma when encountering parasitized hosts. Evolutionarily stable strategies involve consistent superparasitism and synchronized patch departure to maximize reproductive success.

More Related Videos

Peering into the Dynamics of Social Interactions: Measuring Play Fighting in Rats

Peering into the Dynamics of Social Interactions: Measuring Play Fighting in Rats

Published on: January 18, 2013

Inoculating Anopheles gambiae Mosquitoes with Beads to Induce and Measure the Melanization Immune Response

Inoculating Anopheles gambiae Mosquitoes with Beads to Induce and Measure the Melanization Immune Response

Published on: January 12, 2017

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jul 11, 2026

Probing the Limits of Egg Recognition Using Egg Rejection Experiments Along Phenotypic Gradients

Probing the Limits of Egg Recognition Using Egg Rejection Experiments Along Phenotypic Gradients

Published on: August 22, 2018

Peering into the Dynamics of Social Interactions: Measuring Play Fighting in Rats

Peering into the Dynamics of Social Interactions: Measuring Play Fighting in Rats

Published on: January 18, 2013

Inoculating Anopheles gambiae Mosquitoes with Beads to Induce and Measure the Melanization Immune Response

Inoculating Anopheles gambiae Mosquitoes with Beads to Induce and Measure the Melanization Immune Response

Published on: January 12, 2017

Area of Science:

Evolutionary Ecology
Game Theory in Biology
Behavioral Ecology

Background:

Superparasitism occurs when a female parasitoid lays eggs in a host already containing conspecific eggs.
In solitary species, only one offspring typically survives, creating competition.
Host availability and patch exploitation dynamics influence parasitoid behavior.

Purpose of the Study:

To determine evolutionarily relevant strategies for parasitoids facing superparasitism.
To analyze oviposition and patch-leaving decisions in a game theory context.
To understand the trade-offs between competition and resource depletion.

Main Methods:

Investigated a synchronous, nonzero-sum, two-player differential game.
Modeled parasitoid decisions regarding accepting parasitized hosts and leaving patches.
Solved the game under the assumption of superparasitism success probability near one-half.

Main Results:

Identified candidate dynamic evolutionarily stable policies for parasitoid behavior.
The strategic equilibrium involves consistent superparasitism upon arrival.
Parasitoids are predicted to leave patches synchronously when future fitness loss from superparasitism approaches zero.

Conclusions:

Superparasitism does not inevitably lead to prolonged conflict or a 'war of attrition'.
Synchronized departure from resource patches is an evolutionarily stable strategy.
Parasitoid reproductive success is directly linked to optimal decision-making in competitive environments.