Red Queen Dynamics in Daphnia; Revealing the Evolutionary Change in a Parasite Population

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The precursor project has largely focused on studying evolutionary change in host populations, whereas here we propose to investigate the second player of Red Queen races – the parasites. Thus, we will screen wild populations of infected hosts (Daphnia). As the model parasite we will use the protozoan Caullerya mesnili. In the precursor project a) we showed that this parasite is likely to induce evolutionary change in natural Daphnia populations (due to its high virulence and strong genetic specificity for infection); b) we have developed a molecular approach to study Caullerya population structure (nucleotide variation in the ITS region of ribosomal DNA); and c) we have identified several field sites where this parasite is common. There are four objectives of the proposed new research. We will investigate, using molecular approaches: 1) temporal changes (i.e. within parasite populations) and 2) the spatial pattern (across populations). Importantly, 3) we will verify the results from the multi-copy gene marker ITS with a single-copy gene marker: elongation factor alpha, EF-α. Finally, we will look for 4) molecular signatures of the genetic specificity of infection. In summary, this project will shed light on evolutionary changes in otherwise often omitted partners in the host-parasite coevolutionary research: the microparasites.