Related Experiment Video
Updated: Apr 28, 2026

Phenotypic Analysis of Rodent Malaria Parasite Asexual and Sexual Blood Stages and Mosquito Stages
Published on: May 30, 2019
On the origins of parasite-extended phenotypes
1*Department of Entomology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA; Department of Biology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA; Center for Infectious Disease Dynamics, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA*Department of Entomology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA; Department of Biology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA; Center for Infectious Disease Dynamics, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA*Department of Entomology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA; Department of Biology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA; Center for Infectious Disease Dynamics, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA dhughes@psu.edu.
Abstract:
Parasites that adaptively manipulate the behavior of their host are among the most exciting adaptations that we can find in nature. The behavior of the host can become an extended phenotype of the parasites within animals such that the success and failure of the parasite's genome rely on precise change of the host's behavior. Evolutionary biology was borne from the close attention of naturalists such as Wallace and Darwin to phenotypic variation in seeking to understand the origins of new species. In this essay, I argue that we also need to think about the origins of parasite-extended phenotypes. This is a more difficult task than understanding the evolution of textbook examples of novelty such as the eyes of vertebrates or the hooves of horses. However, new tools such as phylogenomics provide an important opportunity to make significant progress in understanding the extended phenotypes of parasites. Knowing the origins of parasite-extended phenotypes is important as a goal all by itself. But the knowledge gained will also help us understand why complex manipulation is so rare and to identify the evolutionary tipping points driving its appearance.
More Related Videos
09:13Author Spotlight: Identifying Compensatory Pathways in Malaria Parasites Containing Hypomorphic Allele of Essential Protein Kinases
Published on: November 22, 2024
08:24Inoculating Anopheles gambiae Mosquitoes with Beads to Induce and Measure the Melanization Immune Response
Published on: January 12, 2017
Related Concept Videos
Microbial Interactions: Parasitism
Background and Environment Affect Phenotype
An example of how genetic background affects phenotype can be seen in horses. The Extension gene in horses is responsible for their coat color. A wild-type gene (EE) produces black pigment in the coat, while a mutant gene (ee) produces red pigment. A...
Diversity of Protists I
Diversity of Protists II
Evolution of New Traits in Microbes
Epistasis Analysis