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Prey selection can cause novel coevolutionary patterns

Sabrina B. L. Araujo,M. E. Borges,Francisco W. von Hartenthal,L. Jorge,T. Lewinsohn,P. Guimarães,M. Baalen

Published 2018 in arXiv: Populations and Evolution

ABSTRACT

Many theoretical models have been formulated to better understand the coevolutionary patterns that emerge from antagonistic interactions. In most of these models it is assumed that the attacks by the exploiters are random, so that the effect of victim selection by exploiters on coevolutionary patterns remains unexplored. Here we study an individual-based model for the coevolution of predators and prey in which every individual predator can attack only a small number of prey any given time. We investigate coevolutionary patterns that result from two scenarios: (i) predation occurs at random; (ii) predators select prey according to phenotype matching. We show that both scenarios result in well known similar coevolutionary patterns if population sizes are sufficiently high: symmetrical coevolutionary branching and symmetrical coevolutionary cycling (Red Queen dynamics). However, for small population sizes prey selection can cause other coevolutionary patterns that have not yet been reported. One is the breaking of symmetry of the coevolutionary pattern, where the phenotypes evolve towards one of two evolutionarily stable patterns. As population size increases, the phenotypes oscillate between these two values in a novel form of Red Queen dynamics, the episodic reversal between the two stable patterns. Thus, prey selection causes prey phenotypes to evolve towards more extreme values, which reduces the fitness of both predators and prey, increasing the likelihood of extinction. An analytical approach allows us to show the robustness of our results.

PUBLICATION RECORD

  • Publication year

    2018

  • Venue

    arXiv: Populations and Evolution

  • Publication date

    2018-09-24

  • Fields of study

    Biology

  • Identifiers
    arXiv 1809.09179
  • External record

    Open on Semantic Scholar

  • Source metadata

    Semantic Scholar

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