Search results for "Coevolution"

2019

So far, studies on the bacterial immune system CRISPR-Cas and its ecological and evolutionary effects have been largely limited to laboratory conditions. While providing crucial information on the constituents of CRISPR-Cas, such studies may overlook fundamental components that affect bacterial immunity in natural habitats. Translating laboratory-derived predictions to nature is not a trivial task, owing partly to the instability of natural communities and difficulties in repeated sampling. To this end, we review how aquaculture, the farming of fishes and other aquatic species, may provide suitable semi-natural laboratories for examining the role of CRISPR-Cas in phage/bacterium coevolution…

Evolution of external female genital mutilation : why do males harm their mates?

2017

Sperm competition may select for male reproductive traits that influence female mating or oviposition rate. These traits may induce fitness costs to the female; however, they may be costly for the males as well as any decrease in female fitness also affects male fitness. Male adaptations to sperm competition manipulate females by altering not only female behaviour or physiology, but also female morphology. In orb-weaving spiders, mating may entail mutilation of external structures of the female genitalia, which prevents genital coupling with subsequent males. Here, we present a game theoretical model showing that external female genital mutilation is favoured even under relatively high cost…

Social versus individual learning: fitness consequences of two different strategies for defence

2014

Old versus new world: adaptive significance of nest defence in two brood parasitism systems

2011

Social transmission in the wild can reduce predation pressure on novel prey signals

2021

Funder: Suomen Kulttuurirahasto (Finnish Cultural Foundation); doi: https://doi.org/10.13039/501100003125

Co-Evolutionary Coupling via a Digital-bio Ecosystem – A Suggestion for a New R&D Model in the Digital Economy

2019

A solution to the critical problem of a dilemma between R&D expansion and productivity decline that a majority of information and communication technology (ICT) leaders have been confronting in the digital economy is expected. It can be expected by a spinoff from economic functionality-seeking GDP-based coevolution cycle to supra-functionality beyond an economic value-seeking uncaptured GDP-driven coevolution cycle. However, the transformation dynamism remains a black box. By means of numerical simulations based on empirical analyses of the development trajectories of global ICT leaders, focusing on Amazon and Finland, together with an intensive review of preceding analyses, this paper atte…

GENETIC AND ENVIRONMENTAL VARIATION IN ANTIBODY AND T-CELL MEDIATED RESPONSES IN THE GREAT TIT

2006

Host parasite coevolution assumes pathogen specific genetic variation in host immune defense. Also, if immune function plays a role in the evolution of life history, allocation to immune function should be heritable. We conducted a cross-fostering experiment to test the relative importance of genetic and environmental sources of variation in T-cell mediated inflammatory response and antigen specific antibody responses in the great tits Parus major. Cell mediated response was measured during the nestling period and antibody response against two novel antigens was measured in two-month-old juveniles raised in a laboratory. We found no effect of nest of origin, but a strong effect of rearing e…

Coincidental loss of bacterial virulence in multi-enemy microbial communities.

2014

The coincidental virulence evolution hypothesis suggests that outside-host selection, such as predation, parasitism and resource competition can indirectly affect the virulence of environmentally-growing bacterial pathogens. While there are some examples of coincidental environmental selection for virulence, it is also possible that the resource acquisition and enemy defence is selecting against it. To test these ideas we conducted an evolutionary experiment by exposing the opportunistic pathogen bacterium Serratia marcescens to the particle-feeding ciliate Tetrahymena thermophila, the surfacefeeding amoeba Acanthamoeba castellanii, and the lytic bacteriophage Semad11, in all possible combi…

Co-evolution between ectoparasites and their insect hosts: a simulation study of a damselfly-water mite interaction

2001

Summary 1. A simulation model investigating the co-evolution of water mites infesting their aquatic insect hosts during emergence is presented. The model is based on field and experimental studies of the ectoparasitic water mite Arrenurus cuspidator and the damselfly Coenagrion puella. 2. Three scenarios were studied: (1) Only the host was allowed to evolve timing of emergence, while the timing of the parasites' infestation opportunity was held constant. (2) Both host and parasite were allowed to evolve. (3) Only the parasite's timing was allowed to evolve, while the host was constrained completely. 3. In the first two scenarios, parasite abundances decreased in the course of evolution and …

New molecular data attest to the absence of cospeciation patterns between Placobdella costata (Fr. Müller, 1846) (Hirudinea) and freshwater turtles (…

2021

The only Palearctic representative of the leech genus Placobdella Blanchard, 1893 is P. costata, an ectoparasite of freshwater turtles. To date, no conclusive evidence about the possible presence of coevolutionary patterns between this leech and its turtle hosts is available due to the paucity of DNA sequence data available for P. costata; moreover, comparative host data is also mostly lacking, making any inferences more difficult. The discovery of new populations of the species in northern Italy and Sicily allowed us to generate novel mitochondrial DNA sequences and to compare the topology of the resulting phylogenetic trees with the phylogeny of the turtle hosts occurring in the study are…