Host Heterogeneity and the Evolution of Host-Pathogen Systems

9707610莱文塑造自然界中任何生物的生态的一个重要过程是共同进化，即不同物种之间的进化相互作用。理解共同进化需要数学和计算机模型来描述物种之间的相互作用如何在很长一段时间内发生变化；然而，由于对生物过程的不充分理解和数学描述的复杂性，构建和分析这样的模型几乎是不可能的。然而，研究人员的实证工作已经产生了有用的昆虫与病原体之间相互作用的短期模型，而PI实验室的数学突破极大地简化了长期共同进化模型。在这项研究中，研究人员将应用这些进展来理解宿主和病原体的相互作用，特别是在昆虫中，如何受到宿主和病原体的共同进化的影响。由于昆虫是重要的农业害虫，病原菌是控制害虫的重要自然手段，因此对昆虫的研究将具有直接和重要的环境应用价值。

9707610 Levin An important process shaping the ecology of any organisms in nature is coevolution, the evolutionary interplay among distinct species. Understanding coevolution requires mathematical and computer models to describe how interactions among species change over long time intervals; yet the construction and analysis of such models is rarely possible because of inadequate understanding of the biological processes, and the complexity of the mathematical description. Empirical work by the investigators, however, has produced useful short-term models of interactions between insects and their pathogens, and mathematical breakthroughs in the PI's lab have greatly simplified long term coevolutionary models. In this research, the investigators will apply these advances to understanding how host-pathogen interactions, especially in insects, are affected by the coevolution of host and pathogen. Because insects are important agricultural pests, and because pathogens are important natural means of pest control, the research will have direct and important environmental applications.