Open AccessUnderstanding the ecology and evolution of host–parasite interactions across scales
Author(s) -
Penczykowski Rachel M.,
Laine AnnaLiisa,
Koskella Britt
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
evolutionary applications
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.776
H-Index - 68
ISSN - 1752-4571
DOI - 10.1111/eva.12294
Subject(s) - biology , host (biology) , temporal scales , adaptation (eye) , parasite hosting , coevolution , ecology , local adaptation , spatial ecology , variation (astronomy) , evolutionary biology , host resistance , population , computer science , physics , demography , neuroscience , sociology , world wide web , astrophysics , immunology
Predicting the emergence, spread and evolution of parasites within and among host populations requires insight to both the spatial and temporal scales of adaptation, including an understanding of within‐host up through community‐level dynamics. Although there are very few pathosystems for which such extensive data exist, there has been a recent push to integrate studies performed over multiple scales or to simultaneously test for dynamics occurring across scales. Drawing on examples from the literature, with primary emphasis on three diverse host–parasite case studies, we first examine current understanding of the spatial structure of host and parasite populations, including patterns of local adaptation and spatial variation in host resistance and parasite infectivity. We then explore the ways to measure temporal variation and dynamics in host–parasite interactions and discuss the need to examine change over both ecological and evolutionary timescales. Finally, we highlight new approaches and syntheses that allow for simultaneous analysis of dynamics across scales. We argue that there is great value in examining interplay among scales in studies of host–parasite interactions.