Cytoplasmic Imcompatibility in Flour Beetles: A Model of Host-Parasite Coevolution

寄生虫无处不在，可以施加强大的长期选择 在主机上。 宿主-寄生虫相互作用可能促进物种 多样性，改变宿主行为，促进物种形成， 也许能培养和维持性生活 我的研究使用了一种常见的 节肢动物寄生虫研究宿主-寄生虫的共同进化。 的 寄生虫是一种细胞质传播的细菌， 生殖不相容性 受感染的男性和 未受感染的雌性是不育的。 通过“绝育”女性， 传播寄生虫，感染的男性增加的频率， 感染和寄生虫应该传播，直到所有的人都是 感染了 关于宿主-寄生虫共同进化的两个问题是 处理。 寄生虫引起的影响是否存在遗传变异 对宿主繁殖成功的影响 基因分析测量了 寄生虫对宿主生殖影响的遗传力 成功 对选择（R）的反应取决于选择（S） 遗传力（h2），R=S*h2。 因此，这个实验阐明了 宿主-寄生虫系统进化的潜力。 第二 问题是：寄生虫的毒力是如何进化的？ 新型寄生虫 将菌株引入不同的宿主遗传背景。 寄生虫对宿主的影响将被长期测量， 短期内 本实验是对模型的重要检验， 寄生虫排泄 这些实验提供了重要的 关于宿主-寄生虫共同进化的信息。

Parasites are ubiquitous and can exert powerful long-term selection on hosts. Host-parasite interactions may promote species diversity, alter host behavior, contribute to speciation and perhaps foster and maintain sex. My research uses a common arthropod parasite to investigate host-parasite coevolution. The parasite is a cytoplasmically transmitted bacterium that causes reproductive incompatability. Crosses between infected males and uninfected females are sterile. By "sterilizing" females not transmitting the parasite, infected males increase the frequency of infection and the parasite should spread until all individuals are infected. Two questions about host-parasite coevolution are addressed. Is there genetic variation for parasite-induced affects on host reproductive success? A genetic analysis measures the heritability of the parasite's effect on the host reproductive success. The response to selection (R) depends on selection (S) and heritability (h2), R=S*h2. Thus this experiment elucidates the potential of the host-parasite system to evolve. The second question is: How does parasite virulence evolve? Novel parasite strains will be introduced into different host genetic backgrounds. The parasite's effects on the host will be measured over long and short term. This experiment is an important test of models of parasite virulance. Together, these experiments provide important information on host-parasite coevolution.