Experimental evolution of local parasite maladaptation |
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Authors: | S ADIBA M HUET O KALTZ |
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Institution: | 1. UPMC Univ. Paris 06, Laboratoire de Fonctionnement et Evolution des Systèmes Ecologiques, CNRS‐UMR 7625, Paris, France;2. Present address: Station d’Ecologie Experimentale CNRS USR 2936, 09200 Moulis, France.;3. UPMC Univ. Paris 06, Laboratoire de Parasitologie Evolutive, CNRS‐UMR 7103, Paris, France |
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Abstract: | Sign and magnitude of local adaptation in host–parasite systems may vary with ecological, epidemiological or genetic parameters. To investigate the role of host genetic background, we established long‐term experimental populations of different genotypes of the protozoan Paramecium caudatum, infected with the bacterial parasite Holospora undulata. We observed the evolution of an overall pattern of parasite local maladaptation for infectivity, indicating a general coevolutionary disadvantage of this parasite. Maladaptation extended to host populations with the same genetic background, similar to extending from the local to a higher regional level in natural populations. Patterns for virulence were qualitatively similar, but with less statistical support. A nonsignificant correlation with levels of (mal)adaptation for infectivity suggests independent evolution of these traits. Our results indicate similar (co)evolutionary trajectories in populations with different genetic backgrounds. Nonetheless, the correlated clines of genetic distance and parasite performance illustrate how genetic background can shape spatial gradients of local adaptation. |
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Keywords: | coevolution cross‐infection geographic mosaic Holospora host infectivity local adaptation Paramecium virulence |
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