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Trophic network structure emerges through antagonistic coevolution in temporally varying environments
Timothée Poisot1, Peter H Thrall, Michael E Hochberg
1Institut des Sciences de l'Evolution, UMR 5554, Université Montpellier II, Place Eugène Bataillon, 34095 Montpellier Cedex 05, France. tpoisot@um2.fr
Proceedings. Biological Sciences
|June 10, 2011
Summary
Environmental variability impacts ecological specialization in victim-enemy systems. Temporal changes in productivity drive coevolutionary dynamics, affecting specialization and population densities in these ecological networks.
Area of Science:
- Ecological specialization
- Community ecology
- Evolutionary dynamics
Background:
- Ecological specialization is key to understanding community ecology and evolution.
- Limited knowledge exists on how environmental variation impacts specialization in coevolving systems.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how temporal environmental heterogeneity affects specialization in victim-enemy coevolutionary systems.
- To analyze the impact of resource and population dynamics on community structure.
Main Methods:
- Development and analysis of a general model for victim-enemy coevolution.
- Inclusion of resource and population dynamics within the model.
- Investigation of temporal environmental heterogeneity's effects.
Main Results:
- Environmental productivity influences victim resistance, shaping specialization patterns.
- Enemy infectivity is regulated by victim resistance and environmental conditions.
- Intermediate productive season lengths maximize enemy population density, favoring infectivity over defense.
Conclusions:
- Temporal environmental heterogeneity significantly shapes the evolution of specialization in antagonistic networks.
- Environmental variability has direct epidemiological consequences on interacting populations.
- The model provides insights applicable to various natural systems and empirical studies.
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