A life history view of mutualistic viral symbioses: quantity or quality for cooperation?
2013
Bao, Xiaodong | Roossinck, Marilyn J.
Mutualistic symbioses between viruses and their hosts do not employ a straightforward rule by viral genome characteristics, transmission mechanisms or host genotypes. In this review we propose that reproduction rates and environmental carrying capacity of hosts may play a major role in maintaining the mutualism. Depending on how host life history shifts following establishment of the symbiosis, a symbiosis can be classified as quality-selected mutualism or quantity-selected mutualism. Quality-selected mutualism is described with modified Lotka–Volterra models. Both our models and previous empirical examples support the hypothesis that quality-selected mutualism can reach stable equilibrium under certain conditions. Quantity-selected mutualism is rare and is not supported by our model. With increasing attention to mutualistic viral ecology, we will have a better understanding of how viruses drive evolution.
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