Are there limits to adaptation in host-parasite systems?

Lianne Baker
Tuesday 20 September 2022

Are there limits to adaptation in host-parasite systems?Prof Sara MagalhãesUniversity of Lisbon


Prof Sara Magalhães

Limits to adaptation are thought to arise due to trade-offs between traits associated with high performance in different environments. Moreover, within environments, increased values of a particular trait may trade off with values of other traits. These trade-offs have been associated with the maintenance of diversity within species, such that different populations occupy different niches. Along the years, we have been testing the occurrence of such trade-offs. I will present examples of such tests, ranging from costs of adaptation to different environments to the trade-off between virulence and transmission, focusing on host-parasite systems. Overall, we found limited evidence for the occurrence of genetic trade-offs. Instead, our results point to a potential role of demography in creating limits to the colonization of all habitats.


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