Antagonistic coevolution between hosts and parasites can have a major impact
on host population structures, and hence on the evolution of social traits.
Using stochastic modelling techniques in the context of bacteria-virus
interactions, we investigate the impact of coevolution across a continuum of
host-parasite genetic specificity (specifically, where genotypes have the same
infectivity/resistance ranges (matching alleles, MA) to highly variable ranges
(gene-for-gene, GFG)) on population genetic structure, and on the social
behaviour of the host. We find that host cooperation is more likely to be
maintained towards the MA end of the continuum, as the more frequent
bottlenecks associated with an MA-like interaction can prevent defector
invasion, and can even allow migrant cooperators to invade populations of
defectors.Comment: 8 pages, 4 figures, 1 Supplementary Material file attached (to view
it, please download the source file listed under "Other formats"