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The evolution of cheating in viruses
Asher Leeks1, Stuart A West2, Melanie Ghoul2
1Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX1 3PS, UK. asherleeks@gmail.com.
Abstract:
The success of many viruses depends upon cooperative interactions between viral genomes. However, whenever cooperation occurs, there is the potential for 'cheats' to exploit that cooperation. We suggest that: (1) the biology of viruses makes viral cooperation particularly susceptible to cheating; (2) cheats are common across a wide range of viruses, including viral entities that are already well studied, such as defective interfering genomes, and satellite viruses. Consequently, the evolutionary theory of cheating could help us understand and manipulate viral dynamics, while viruses also offer new opportunities to study the evolution of cheating.
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