The evolution of virulence

old_uid7137
titleThe evolution of virulence
start_date2009/06/09
schedule15h
onlineno
location_infosalle 206
summaryThe individual host is a cul-de-sac for parasites that reproduce within it and so parasite persistence relies on host-to-host transmission. As a consequence, natural selection acts on two intertwined levels. Adopting the Adaptive Dynamics approach, we study some of the consequences in the context of caricatural models for within-host dynamics. The inspiration came from a paper of Gilchrist & Coombs (TPB 69(2006)145-153) but we incorporate superinfection and thus deal with a variant of the milker-killer dilemma. We find that dimorphism may arise by a degenerate form of branching. The lecture is based on joint work with Barbara Boldin.
responsiblesBerestycki, Nadal, Rosenstiehl