The role of mobility for the emergence of diversity in victim-exploiter systems
Authored by Thomas Hovestadt, T Chaianunporn
Date Published: 2011
DOI: 10.1111/j.1420-9101.2011.02375.x
Sponsors:
European Union
French National Research Agency (ANR)
Royal Thai Government
Platforms:
No platforms listed
Model Documentation:
Other Narrative
Mathematical description
Model Code URLs:
Model code not found
Abstract
Theoretical and empirical studies indicate that exploitation is a
possible driver of exploiter and victim diversification. However, there
are many factors which could promote and limit this diversification
process. Using a spatially explicit individual-based model, where an
exploiters success depends on matching between its own and a victims
continuous trait, we simulate local communities of victims and
exploiters. We investigate how exploiter mobility (searching ability and
movement strategies) can influence diversification of victims. We find
that if victim traits are under intermediate intensity of stabilizing
selection, disruptive selection exerted by exploiters can indeed lead to
diversification in victim population and the victim trait distribution
can split into two or more groups. Searching ability and movement
strategy of exploiters (local vs. global movement) play a role in
determining the number of victim trait groups emerging. Moreover, they
affect the proportion of infected victims and the formation of spatial
patterns in the victim trait distribution. In addition, with a high
searching ability, exploiters with global movement drive victims to be
more diverse than exploiters with local movement.
Tags
sympatric speciation
Local adaptation
Dangerous prey
Quantitative traits
Host-specificity
Social parasite
Coevolutionary arms-race
Evolutionary response
Microdon-mutabilis
Brood parasites