Trait evolution in spatially structured communities: food chains & host-parasite systems

François Massol
Université de Lille

The realization that evolutionary and ecological dynamics might influence one another begs the question of how species traits co-evolve in interaction but constrained by spatial structure. Simple models inspired by the classic metapopulation model of R. Levins, have been devised and extended to this end. Here, I will illustrate how such models can be used to understand the extent of eco-evo dynamics and feedbacks by focusing on two examples: (1) how the evolution of species colonization rates can affect the distribution of food -chain lengths across a metacommunity and (2) how accounting for multiple infections within hosts can modify the coevolution of host resistance and parasite virulence.