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Published on: August 18, 2023
Coevolution of Age-Structured Tolerance and Virulence
Lydia J Buckingham1,2, Ben Ashby3,4,5,6
1Department of Mathematical Sciences, University of Bath, Bath, UK. ljb74@bath.ac.uk.
Age-specific host tolerance to pathogens drives coevolutionary cycles, unlike uniform tolerance. This age structure also influences disease virulence, impacting host-pathogen dynamics across lifespans.
Area of Science:
- Evolutionary biology
- Ecology
- Pathogen dynamics
Background:
- Hosts evolve resistance and tolerance to combat parasitism.
- Age-specific tolerance patterns in hosts are influenced by pathogen coevolution.
- The impact of host age structure on coevolutionary tolerance dynamics remains unclear.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how host age structure influences coevolutionary dynamics between hosts and pathogens.
- To compare coevolutionary outcomes when tolerance and virulence are age-specific versus uniform across the host lifespan.
Main Methods:
- Utilized a mathematical model of tolerance-virulence coevolution.
- Analyzed age-specific versus age-uniform tolerance and virulence traits.
Main Results:
- Coevolutionary cycling between hosts and pathogens is more frequent with age-specific host tolerance.
- Coevolutionary cycling does not occur when host tolerance is uniform across all ages.
- Age-structured tolerance can select for higher virulence in shorter-lived hosts, contrasting with uniform tolerance.
Conclusions:
- Host age structure significantly impacts host-pathogen coevolutionary dynamics.
- Age-specific tolerance can lead to distinct virulence evolution patterns compared to age-uniform tolerance.
- Understanding age structure is crucial for predicting host-pathogen coevolutionary trajectories.
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