Living with relatives offsets the harm caused by pathogens in natural populations

Bensch, Hanna M.; O’Connor, Emily; Cornwallis, Charlie K.

doi:10.7554/elife.66649

Cited by 3 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 204 publications

(175 reference statements)

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“…Collectively, these predictions form our 'diversity-uncertainty' model for predicting the mean and variability of parasite success across populations with different levels of host and parasite diversity. This builds on previous work (31), which focused on the relationship between population diversity and variability in parasite-induced host mortality and pathogen abundance for only three out of the four possible combinations in Table 1, without also acknowledging the influence of the genetic specificity for infection on these hypotheses.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 89%

The effect of host population genetic diversity on variation in metrics of parasite success

Paplauskas,

Duthie,

Tinsley

2024

Preprint

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Conventional wisdom suggests that populations with lower levels of genetic diversity are at a greater risk of the more harmful effects of disease. However, previous attempts to qualify this proposition have focused on measuring the mean, rather than the variability, in metrics of parasite success. Since the ability of host population genetic diversity to limit the spread of disease requires some specificity between hosts and parasites, and the benefits of host population genetic diversity in resistance to infection may depend on the respective parasite population genetic diversity, we propose a diversity-uncertainty model which predicts that the mean and variability in parasite success depend on a combination of host range and parasite population genetic diversity. By re-analyzing a dataset combining 48 studies collected by previous meta-analyses, we show that the effect of host population genetic diversity reduces the mean success of single-host, but not host generalist, parasites. We find evidence for our original hypothesis that the variability of parasite success depends on a combination of host population genetic diversity, parasite population genetic diversity and host range. Together, these results challenge conventional wisdom and have important implications for how genetic diversity can be better managed in host populations.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 89%

The effect of host population genetic diversity on variation in metrics of parasite success

Paplauskas,

Duthie,

Tinsley

2024

Preprint

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Genetic diversity and disease: The past, present, and future of an old idea

Gibson

2021

Evolution

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Why do infectious diseases erupt in some host populations and not others? This question has spawned independent fields of research in evolution, ecology, public health, agriculture, and conservation. In the search for environmental and genetic factors that predict variation in parasitism, one hypothesis stands out for its generality and longevity: genetically homogeneous host populations are more likely to experience severe parasitism than genetically diverse populations. In this perspective piece, I draw on overlapping ideas from evolutionary biology, agriculture, and conservation to capture the far-reaching implications of the link between genetic diversity and disease. I first summarize the development of this hypothesis and the results of experimental tests. Given the convincing support for the protective effect of genetic diversity, I then address the following questions: (1) Where has this idea been put to use, in a basic and applied sense, and how can we better use genetic diversity to limit disease spread? (2) What new hypotheses does the established disease-diversity relationship compel us to test? I conclude that monitoring, preserving, and augmenting genetic diversity is one of our most promising evolutionarily informed strategies for buffering wild, domesticated, and human populations against future outbreaks.

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A Guided Tour of Phylogenetic Comparative Methods for Studying Trait Evolution

Cornwallis,

Griffin

2024

Annual Review of Ecology, Evolution, and Systematics

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Phylogenetic comparative methods are important tools in biology, providing insights into the way traits evolve. There are many technical resources describing how these methods work. Our aim here is to complement these with an overview of the types of biological questions that can be addressed by different methods and to outline potential pitfalls and considerations when embarking on comparative studies. First, we introduce what comparative methods are and why they are important. Second, we outline how they can be used to understand when, where, and how frequently traits evolve. Third, we examine how the coevolution of traits within and between species can be studied, along with patterns of causality. Finally, we discuss how to approach comparative analyses and the ways in which different types of data, such as published relationships, omic, and remote sensing data, can be integrated.

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Living with relatives offsets the harm caused by pathogens in natural populations

Cited by 3 publications

References 204 publications

The effect of host population genetic diversity on variation in metrics of parasite success

The effect of host population genetic diversity on variation in metrics of parasite success

Genetic diversity and disease: The past, present, and future of an old idea

A Guided Tour of Phylogenetic Comparative Methods for Studying Trait Evolution

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