Host-pathogen coevolution in the presence of predators: fluctuating selection and ecological feedbacks.

ABSTRACT: Host-pathogen coevolution is central to shaping natural communities and is the focus of much experimental and theoretical study. For tractability, the vast majority of studies assume the host and pathogen interact in isolation, yet in reality, they will form one part of complex communities, with predation likely to be a particularly key interaction. Here, I present, to my knowledge, the first theoretical study to assess the impact of predation on the coevolution of costly host resistance and pathogen transmission. I show that fluctuating selection is most likely when predators selectively prey upon infected hosts, but that saturating predation, owing to large handling times, dramatically restricts the potential for fluctuations. I also show how host evolution may drive either enemy to exti

SUBMITTER: Best A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6125909 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature