Red king or red queen: In relationships based on mutuality, number of individuals involved can determine rate at which species evolve
Monday, September 24, 2012 - 09:30
in Biology & Nature
The relationship between species determines how rapidly they evolve. Parasites and their hosts coevolve more rapidly, and partners in a mutualistic relationship can evolve more slowly. But this view is obviously too simplistic. The rate of evolution in a mutualistic relationship does not depend only on the type of interactions, but also on the number of individuals involved, according to a model developed by researchers in Germany. Therefore, while partners can benefit from slow evolution if only two individuals interact, a higher rate of evolution may be favored if several individuals are involved.