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Evolutionary ecology of parasite reproductive strategies

Reference	FG11757
Principal Investigator / Supervisor	Professor Andrew Read
Co-Investigators / Co-Supervisors
Institution	University of Edinburgh
Department	Inst of Cell, Animal and Population Biol
Funding type	Research
Value (£)	104,563
Status	Completed
Type	Fellowships
Start date	01/10/1998
End date	01/10/2001
Duration	36 months

Abstract

Parasites vary in their rates of within-host proliferation, and the timing and number of infective propagules produced. The evolutionary factors underlying this striking diversity are poorly understood, yet the epidemiology and pathology of disease organisms is fundamentally linked to their reproduction. Using a combination of experimental, theoretical and comparative analyses, a number of important selective forces imposed on parasite reproductive strategies have been empirically assessed (e.g. clonal competition, intra-host habitat variation, chemotherapy). In addition, we have produced the first quantitatively successful optimality models of infectious diseases, identified causes of interspecific variation in helminth abundance and life history, and found experimental evidence supporting our contention that sex is a immune evasion strategy.

Summary

unavailable

Committee	Closed Committee - Animal Sciences (AS)
Research Topics	X – not assigned to a current Research Topic
Research Priority	X – Research Priority information not available
Research Initiative	Fellowship - Fellowship Grant (FG) [1997-2001]
Funding Scheme	X – not Funded via a specific Funding Scheme

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