Record ID No. |
1939 |
Author(s) |
Douglas A.E , 2008 |
Affiliation |
University of York, Department of Biology, York YO10 5YW, N Yorkshire, ENGLAND |
Title |
Conflict, cheats and the persistence of symbioses |
Source. Vol.(no):Page |
New Phytologist.177(4):849-858p. |
Categories |
Arbuscular Mycorrhiza |
Subjects |
Biochemistry |
Sub-subjects |
Miscellaneous |
Organism |
n.a. |
Country |
ENGLAND |
Abstracts |
Many symbioses are widespread, abundant, and evolutionarily persistent. This is
despite unambiguous evidence for conflict between the partners and the existence of cheats that
use benefits derived from their partners while providing reduced or no services in return.
Evidence from a diversity of associations suggests that symbioses are robust to cheating in
several ways. Some symbioses persist despite conflict and cheating because of the selective
advantage of cost-free interactions (also known as byproduct mutualistic interactions), which
incur no conflict. There is also evidence for the suppression of cheating by sanctions imposed by
partners in some symbioses, and vertical transmission has been shown experimentally to promote
traits that enhance partner performance. It is argued that these processes contribute to the
apparent rarity of evolutionary transitions from symbiosis to parasitism. There is strong
phylogenetic evidence for the evolutionary reversion of various symbiotic organisms to
free-living lifestyles, but at least some of these transitions can be attributed to selection
pressures other than within-symbiosis conflict. The principal conclusion is that, although
conflict is common in symbioses, it is generally managed and contained. |