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Host-pathogen coevolution in the presence of predators: fluctuating selection and ecological feedbacks
1School of Mathematics and Statistics, University of Sheffield, Sheffield S3 7RH, UK a.best@shef.ac.uk.
Proceedings. Biological Sciences
|August 24, 2018
Summary
Predation on infected hosts can drive host-pathogen coevolution, potentially leading to extinction. Incorporating predation reveals complex dynamics, impacting resistance and infection rates in natural communities.
Area of Science:
- Ecology
- Evolutionary Biology
- Theoretical Biology
Background:
- Host-pathogen interactions are fundamental to community dynamics.
- Most studies simplify these interactions by ignoring community context.
- Predation is a key interaction often omitted in host-pathogen models.
Purpose of the Study:
- To theoretically assess the impact of predation on host-pathogen coevolution.
- To investigate how predation influences costly host resistance and pathogen transmission.
- To explore the role of community structure in shaping evolutionary outcomes.
Main Methods:
- Development of a theoretical model for host-pathogen coevolution.
- Inclusion of predation as a key ecological interaction.
- Analysis of fluctuating selection and extinction dynamics under different predation scenarios.
Main Results:
- Selective predation on infected hosts promotes fluctuating selection.
- Saturating predation significantly limits the potential for evolutionary fluctuations.
- Host evolution can lead to the extinction of either the host or the pathogen.
- Predation favors lower host resistance and higher pathogen infectivity, paradoxically reducing infection rates due to ecological feedbacks.
Conclusions:
- Predation is a critical factor in host-pathogen coevolutionary dynamics.
- Community context, including predation, must be considered for realistic models.
- Ecological feedbacks mediated by predation can alter evolutionary trajectories and population dynamics.
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