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

Speciation Rates

Speciation Rates

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.

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.

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...

Limits to Natural Selection

Limits to Natural Selection

Organisms that are well-adapted to their environment are more likely to survive and reproduce. However, natural selection does not lead to perfectly adapted organisms. Several factors constrain natural selection.

Genetics of Speciation

Genetics of Speciation

Speciation is the evolutionary process resulting in the formation of new, distinct species—groups of reproductively isolated populations.

You might also read

Related Articles

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

Sort by

Same author

Epidemiological impacts of nonpharmaceutical interventions are modulated by immunity exposure trade offs.

Communications medicine·2026

Same author

EMBO Press co-evolves with molecular ecology and evolutionary biology.

The EMBO journal·2026

Same author

Spatially structured host genetic diversity leads to the evolution of local specialization.

Evolution; international journal of organic evolution·2026

Same author

Who is who in necromass formation and stabilization in soil? The role of fungi and bacteria as complementary players of biogeochemical functioning.

ISME communications·2025

Same author

Herbivory Modifies the Role of Spatial Processes in a Grassland Plant Metacommunity.

Ecology letters·2025

Same author

The Bug-Network (BugNet): A Global Experimental Network Testing the Effects of Invertebrate Herbivores and Fungal Pathogens on Plant Communities and Ecosystem Function in Open Ecosystems.

Ecology and evolution·2025

Same journal

Evolution of quantitative traits: exploring the ecological, social and genetic bases of adaptive polymorphism.

Journal of theoretical biology·2026

Same journal

The male-biased sex ratio in humans and its role in the transition from promiscuity to pair bonding.

Journal of theoretical biology·2026

Same journal

Quantifying the counter-intuitive effects of vaccination by coupling the transmission dynamics of COVID-19 and the evolution of human behaviors.

Journal of theoretical biology·2026

Same journal

An integrative model of FGF2-induced signaling and muscle cell proliferation.

Journal of theoretical biology·2026

Same journal

A hybrid reaction-diffusion and mechanical stimulus model for mandibular bone remodeling under chewing and vibratory loading.

Journal of theoretical biology·2026

Same journal

Integrated tick management strategies in fragmented peridomestic environments.

Journal of theoretical biology·2026

See all related articles

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 4, 2025

Author Spotlight: Real-Time Monitoring of Parasite Burden and Host Response

Author Spotlight: Real-Time Monitoring of Parasite Burden and Host Response

Published on: May 31, 2024

The evolutionary dynamics of hyperparasites.

Graham R Northrup¹, Andy White², Steven R Parratt³

¹Center for Computational Biology, College of Engineering, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA.

Journal of Theoretical Biology

|January 27, 2024

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Hyperparasites, parasites of parasites, evolve reduced virulence when hitchhiking with their hosts. This evolutionary dynamic impacts parasite virulence and multitrophic interactions.

Keywords:

Adaptive dynamics Biocontrol Evolutionary theory Hyperparasite

More Related Videos

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

An Introduction to Parasitic Wasps of Drosophila and the Antiparasite Immune Response

An Introduction to Parasitic Wasps of Drosophila and the Antiparasite Immune Response

Published on: May 7, 2012

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jul 4, 2025

Author Spotlight: Real-Time Monitoring of Parasite Burden and Host Response

Author Spotlight: Real-Time Monitoring of Parasite Burden and Host Response

Published on: May 31, 2024

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

An Introduction to Parasitic Wasps of Drosophila and the Antiparasite Immune Response

An Introduction to Parasitic Wasps of Drosophila and the Antiparasite Immune Response

Published on: May 7, 2012

Area of Science:

Evolutionary biology
Ecology
Microbiology

Background:

Evolutionary theory traditionally focuses on pairwise interactions (e.g., host-parasite).
Complex interactions involving hyperparasites (parasites of parasites) are less studied.
Hyperparasites are prevalent, including viruses like CHV-1 and bacteriophages.

Purpose of the Study:

To develop a general modeling framework for hyperparasite evolution.
To investigate the role of hyperparasite transmission with its parasite host.
To analyze the influence of host and parasite traits on hyperparasite evolution.

Main Methods:

General modeling framework construction.
Analysis of hyperparasite transmission dynamics ('hitchhiking').
Examination of trait impacts (virulence, infection acuity) on hyperparasite evolution.

Main Results:

Hyperparasites hitchhiking with their hosts evolve lower virulence, potentially leading to hypermutualism or hypercommensalism.
High parasite virulence selects for increased hyperparasite virulence, reducing overall parasite virulence.
Acute parasite infection also selects for increased hyperparasite virulence.

Conclusions:

Hyperparasite evolution is significantly shaped by their mode of transmission.
Hyperparasites can influence parasite virulence and host-parasite dynamics.
Understanding multitrophic interactions is crucial for evolutionary and ecological insights.