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Chapter 20: Coevolution and Mutualism: Robert E. Ricklefs
Chapter 20: Coevolution and Mutualism: Robert E. Ricklefs
Chapter 20: Coevolution and Mutualism: Robert E. Ricklefs
Robert E. Ricklefs
Introduction
Evolution of Hypovirulence in
Myxoma Virus
Decline in lethality of the myxoma virus in
Australia resulted from evolutionary
responses in both the rabbit and the virus
populations:
less virulent strains of virus became more prevalent following
initial introduction of the virus to Australia:
virus strains that didn’t kill their hosts were more readily
dispersed to new hosts (mosquitoes bite only living rabbits)
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Coevolution
Coevolution is mediated by
biological agents.
The evolutionary effects of biological
agents are unlike those of physical factors
in two important ways:
biological factors stimulate mutual evolutionary
responses; adaptations of organisms in response
to changes in the physical environment have no
effect on that environment
biological agents foster diversity of adaptations
rather than promoting similarity
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Convergence
In
response to biological factors, organisms
tend to diversify:
organisms specialize, approaching feeding,
avoidance of predators and mutually beneficial
arrangements in unique ways
In
contrast, organisms responding to similar
physical stresses in the environment tend to
evolve similar adaptations:
this familiar process is known as convergence
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Identifying Coevolutionary
Responses
Coevolutionrefers strictly to reciprocal
evolution between interacting populations:
the evolution of strong jaws and associated
muscles by hyenas to crack the bones of their
prey is not coevolutionary, because the bones of
the prey have not evolved to resist being eaten
the evolution of the ability of an herbivore to
detoxify substances produced by a plant
specifically to deter that herbivore is
coevolutionary
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evolutionary equilibrium.
Character Displacement
Trophic Mutualism
Defensive Mutualism
Dispersive Mutualism
Summary 1
Summary 2
Summary 3