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Rapid evolution rescues hosts from competition and disease but—despite a dilution effect—increases the density of infected hosts

Alexander T. Strauss, Jessica L. Hite, Marta S. Shocket, Carla E. Cáceres, Meghan A. Duffy, Spencer R. Hall
Published 6 December 2017.DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2017.1970
Alexander T. Strauss
Department of Biology, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN 47401, USA
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  • For correspondence: straussa@umn.edu
Jessica L. Hite
Department of Biology, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN 47401, USA
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Marta S. Shocket
Department of Biology, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN 47401, USA
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Carla E. Cáceres
School of Integrative Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
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Meghan A. Duffy
Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
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Spencer R. Hall
Department of Biology, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN 47401, USA
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Abstract

Virulent parasites can depress the densities of their hosts. Taxa that reduce disease via dilution effects might alleviate this burden. However, ‘diluter’ taxa can also depress host densities through competition for shared resources. The combination of disease and interspecific competition could even drive hosts extinct. Then again, genetically variable host populations can evolve in response to both competitors and parasites. Can rapid evolution rescue host density from the harm caused by these ecological enemies? How might such evolution influence dilution effects or the size of epidemics? In a mesocosm experiment with planktonic hosts, we illustrate the joint harm of competition and disease: hosts with constrained evolutionary ability (limited phenotypic variation) suffered greatly from both. However, populations starting with broader phenotypic variation evolved stronger competitive ability during epidemics. In turn, enhanced competitive ability—driven especially by parasites—rescued host densities from the negative impacts of competition, disease, and especially their combination. Interspecific competitors reduced disease (supporting dilution effects) even when hosts rapidly evolved. However, this evolutionary response also elicited a potential problem. Populations that evolved enhanced competitive ability and maintained robust total densities also supported higher densities of infections. Thus, rapid evolution rescued host densities but also unleashed larger epidemics.

Footnotes

  • Electronic supplementary material is available online at https://dx.doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.c.3935764.

  • Received September 2, 2017.
  • Accepted November 2, 2017.
  • © 2017 The Author(s)
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6 December 2017
Volume 284, issue 1868
Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences: 284 (1868)
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Keywords

disease ecology
rapid evolution
eco-evolutionary dynamics
dilution effect
friendly competition
daphnia
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Rapid evolution rescues hosts from competition and disease but—despite a dilution effect—increases the density of infected hosts
Alexander T. Strauss, Jessica L. Hite, Marta S. Shocket, Carla E. Cáceres, Meghan A. Duffy, Spencer R. Hall
Proc. R. Soc. B 2017 284 20171970; DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2017.1970. Published 6 December 2017
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Research article:

Rapid evolution rescues hosts from competition and disease but—despite a dilution effect—increases the density of infected hosts

Alexander T. Strauss, Jessica L. Hite, Marta S. Shocket, Carla E. Cáceres, Meghan A. Duffy, Spencer R. Hall
Proc. R. Soc. B 2017 284 20171970; DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2017.1970. Published 6 December 2017

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