Kin selection and virulence in the evolution of protocells and parasites
- 22 November 1994
- journal article
- Published by The Royal Society in Proceedings Of The Royal Society B-Biological Sciences
- Vol. 258 (1352), 153-161
- https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.1994.0156
Abstract
The evolution of parasite virulence and the origin of cooperative genomes in primitive cells are both problems that balance cooperative and competitive interactions among symbionts. I analyse the trade-off among three correlated traits: competitiveness against other genotypes for resources within hosts (protocells), damage to the host (virulence), and rate of horizontal transmission from one host to another. All three life-history components are strongly influenced by kin selection. For example, when genetic relatedness within hosts is high, each genotype is competing for resources with closely related genotypes. This competition among relatives favours increased horizontal transmission to colonize new hosts and compete against non-relatives. My analysis shows that many aspects of parasite and protocell evolution must be studied with the theoretical tools of social evolution. I discuss extensions that are required for a general theory of symbiosis.Keywords
This publication has 20 references indexed in Scilit:
- Genetics of Mutualism: The Evolution of Altruism between SpeciesJournal of Theoretical Biology, 1994
- Superinfection and the evolution of parasite virulenceProceedings Of The Royal Society B-Biological Sciences, 1994
- Complex Interactions in Metacommunities, with Implications for Biodiversity and Higher Levels of SelectionEcology, 1992
- Hypercycles spring to lifeNature, 1991
- Spiral wave structure in pre-biotic evolution: Hypercycles stable against parasitesPhysica D: Nonlinear Phenomena, 1991
- The integration of the earliest genetic informationTrends in Ecology & Evolution, 1989
- Coevolution of hosts and parasitesParasitology, 1982
- Selection of Intermediate Rates of Increase in Parasite-Host SystemsThe American Naturalist, 1981
- Hypercycles and the origin of lifeNature, 1979
- Dispersal in stable habitatsNature, 1977