Search results for "transmission strategy"

Bird and amphipod parasites illustrate a gradient from adaptation to exaptation in complex life cycle.

2010

6 pages; International audience; Trophically transmitted parasites modify the phenotype of their hosts, sometimes in a way that facilitates transmission. Parasite-induced changes can be either part of a manipulative strategy evolved to improve the transmission success of the parasite, or simply by-products of infection with no health effect. In the former case, manipulation is regarded as a parasite adaptation driven by the probability of being eaten by a suitable next host. Here, we consider the fact that manipulation may also be an 'exaptation': a trait that evolved for a certain use, but which has been co-opted for a new use. According to this view, features built by natural selection fo…