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COEVOLUTION VARIABLES: "whether the genome is haploid or diploid; the number of alleles involved and whether there is pleiotropy (especially fitness costs independent of the host–pathogen interaction); dominance relationships between alleles; the number of loci involved and whether there is epistasis; whether reproduction is sexual or asexual; whether mating is random or assortative; and the relative generation times of host and pathogen and whether generations are discrete or continuous." https://lnkd.in/d3-W8NW View in LinkedIn

GENETIC DEFINITION. "We define co-evolution as the process of reciprocal, adaptive genetic change in two or more species. This simply means that changes in gene frequencies as a result of selection acting on one population create selection for changes in gene frequencies in the other population(s), although the kinds of population genetic processes that result can be different." https://lnkd.in/d3-W8NW View in LinkedIn

GENETIC COMPATIBILITY. "Theoretical studies of co-evolution date back over 40 years; examples include ‘gene-for-gene’, ‘matching allele’ and ‘matching genotype’ models. The key feature of these models is that the outcome of the host–pathogen interaction depends on the combination of host and pathogen genotypes involved." https://lnkd.in/d3-W8NW View in LinkedIn

RECIPROCITY. "The term coevolution is used to describe cases where two (or more) species reciprocally affect each other's evolution. So for example, an evolutionary change in the morphology of a plant, might affect the morphology of an herbivore that eats the plant, which in turn might affect the evolution of the plant, which might affect the evolution of the herbivore...and so on." https://lnkd.in/dY9fCZ3 View in LinkedIn

MYXOMATOSIS EXAMPLE. "The classic example is the European rabbit–myxoma virus system in which, after the virus was introduced into a naïve rabbit population, phenotypic changes were observed in both pathogen and host components of virulence. The rapid, initial attenuation of the virus presumably represents adaptation to a novel host. But subsequent slower increases in both virus pathogenicity and the ability of the host to survive infection are consistent with co-evolution." https://lnkd.in/d3-W8NW View in LinkedIn

FRAGMENT FROM NATURE for the next two weekends is on coevolution. All creatures have predators; but predation is on a spectrum of relationships that is very wide, including parasitism and symbiosis. It is probably fairer to say that all creatures have other creatures with which they interact to greater or lesser degrees. Being eaten by a lion is rather different than having athlete’s foot. But the common feature within this spectrum is how these interacting creatures coevolve. View in LinkedIn

TRANSITIONS DUE TO COEVOLUTION. "Many major events in the history of life may be attributed to reciprocal coevolutionary change, including the origin of the eukaryotic cell, the origin of plants, the evolution of coral reefs, and the formation of lichens, mycorrhizae, and rhizobia." https://lnkd.in/d3gZgG7 View in LinkedIn

Q: "Is it possible to selectively breed a code to perform selected tasks?"" "A: "Genetic programming.' https://lnkd.in/dMmdiWZ View in LinkedIn

POLLINATOR EXAMPLES. "Permanent reciprocal selective pressure between pairs of coevolving species can lead to a coevolutionary race and rapid evolutionary change. This is exemplified by spurred flowers and long-tongued flower-visitors." A lovely review. https://lnkd.in/dyf9mxs View in LinkedIn

COEVOLUTION CLASSIC. "Darwin used as a case-in-point the evolution of long-spurred flowers and long-tongued pollinators (Darwin, 1862). His logical assumption was that selection should favour spurs that are longer than the pollinator’s tongue." https://lnkd.in/d3gZgG7 View in LinkedIn