Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 21, 2025
05:58
Author Spotlight: Axenic Rearing of Delia antiqua to Detect the Impact of Intestinal Microbes on Its Growth and Development
Published on: December 22, 2023
680
Destabilized host-parasite dynamics in newly founded populations
Daniel I Bolnick1, Rowan D H Barrett2, Emma Choi1
1Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Connecticut Storrs CT, USA.
Biorxiv : the Preprint Server for Biology
|July 9, 2024
Summary
Newly founded populations show unstable infection rates and immune responses. Experimental data reveal rapid eco-evolutionary dynamics between host-parasite interactions in new environments.
Area of Science:
- Ecology
- Evolutionary Biology
- Immunology
Background:
- Dispersing species face novel interactions, including altered parasite loads, in new habitats.
- Theoretical models predict destabilized eco-evolutionary dynamics in newly founded populations.
- Understanding early-generation infection dynamics is crucial but often missed in retrospective studies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To experimentally investigate early-generation host-parasite dynamics in newly founded populations.
- To assess eco-evolutionary fluctuations in infection rates and immune traits following colonization.
Main Methods:
- Experimentally established whole-lake populations of threespine stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus).
- Monitored infection rates and heritable immune traits (peritoneal fibrosis) over time.
- Compared dynamics in newly founded populations with native source populations.
Main Results:
- Infection rates were temporally stable in native stickleback populations.
- Newly founded populations exhibited destabilized host-parasite dynamics.
- High initial infection rates led to increased peritoneal fibrosis, subsequently suppressing infections.
Conclusions:
- Newly founded populations demonstrate rapid eco-evolutionary dynamics between hosts and parasites.
- A temporal auto-correlation between infection and immunity was observed.
- Experimental colonization provides insights into founder effects on host-parasite systems.
Related Concept Videos
00:58Symbiosis
27.7K
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...
27.7K
02:39Predator-Prey Interactions
16.2K
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.
16.2K
03:33Genetic Drift
39.7K
Natural selection—probably the most well-known evolutionary mechanism—increases the prevalence of traits that enhance survival and reproduction. However, evolution does not merely propagate favorable traits, nor does it always benefit populations.
39.7K
01:09Mutation, Gene Flow, and Genetic Drift
58.3K
In a population that is not at Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium, the frequency of alleles changes over time. Therefore, any deviations from the five conditions of Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium can alter the genetic variation of a given population. Conditions that change the genetic variability of a population include mutations, natural selection, non-random mating, gene flow, and genetic drift (small population size).
58.3K
01:07Speciation Rates
21.2K
Overview
21.2K
02:26Ecological Disturbance
17.0K
An ecological disturbance is a temporary disruption in the environment resulting from abiotic, biotic, or anthropogenic factors, causing a pronounced change in an ecosystem. The impact of an ecological disturbance, which can depend on its intensity, frequency, and spatial distribution, plays a significant role in shaping the species diversity within the ecosystem.
17.0K