Playing by different rules: The evolution of virulence in sterilizing pathogens
Authored by KJ O'Keefe, J Antonovics
Date Published: 2002
DOI: 10.1086/339990
Sponsors:
United States National Institutes of Health (NIH)
United States National Science Foundation (NSF)
Platforms:
No platforms listed
Model Documentation:
Other Narrative
Mathematical description
Model Code URLs:
Model code not found
Abstract
We investigate the evolution of virulence of pathogens that reduce their
hosts' fitness primarily by affecting host fecundity. We show that, under many conditions, such sterilizing pathogens evolve high rather
than intermediate levels of virulence, and this pushes the pathogen
population and sometimes the host population toward extinction. We also
show that spatial population structure can reverse this evolutionary
result and allow the persistence of intermediate-virulence pathogens.
Thus, spatial population structure may be vital to the persistence of
sterilizing pathogens in nature.
Tags
systems
Model
Prey
transmission
Population-dynamics
Diseases
Parasite virulence
Genetics
Nematode
Hosts