Parasite - A Chivalrous Oomycete That Steals Fitness From Fecund Hosts And Benefits The Poorest One?

Main Category: Biology / Biochemistry
Article Date: 06 Aug 2008 - 4:00 PDT

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Are parasites always harmful to their hosts? By definition, indeed, but hosts sometimes experience higher fitness in presence than in absence of their parasites.

Symbiotic associations form a continuum of interactions, from deleterious to beneficial effects. We investigated the outcome of infection by the oomycete Hyaloperonospora arabidopsis on its host Arabidopsis thaliana.

This system exhibits a wide range of parasite impact with, surprisingly, deleterious effects on high fecundity hosts and, at the opposite extreme, seemingly beneficial effects on the least fecund one.

This phenomenon might result from varying levels of tolerance among host lines and even overcompensation for parasite damage.

Royal Society journal Biology Letters

Biology Letters publishes short, innovative and cutting-edge research articles and opinion pieces accessible to scientists from across the biological sciences. The journal is characterised by stringent peer-review, rapid publication and broad dissemination of succinct high-quality research communications.

Biology Letters

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