The transition from outcrossing to self-fertilization is one of the most common evolutionary
changes in plants, yet only about 10–15% of flowering plants are predominantly selfing. To …

▪ Abstract Mixed mating, in which hermaphrodite plant species reproduce by both self-and
cross-fertilization, presents a challenging problem for evolutionary biologists. Theory …

Parasites and infectious diseases are everywhere and represent some of the most potent
forces shaping the natural world. They affect almost every aspect imaginable in the life of …

It is a commonly held view that genetically homogenous host populations are more
vulnerable to infection than genetically diverse populations. The underlying idea, known as …

What are the causes of natural selection? Over 40 years ago, Van Valen proposed the Red
Queen hypothesis, which emphasized the primacy of biotic conflict over abiotic forces in …

The study of parasite local adaptation, whereby parasites perform better on sympatric hosts
than on allopatric hosts and/or better on their own host population than do other parasites, is …

Endophytic fungi are common and diverse in plants. Yet the nature of their interactions with
host plants, and how these interactions cascade upward to communities and ecosystems …

The evolution of predominant self‐fertilisation frequently coincides with the evolution of a
collection of phenotypes that comprise the 'selfing syndrome', in both plants and animals …

The process of rapid range expansion (as seen in many invasive species, and in taxa
responding to climate change) may substantially disrupt host–parasite dynamics. Parasites …

Pathogens are powerful evolutionary forces shaping the structure and dynamics of both
individual species and of the communities of which they are part, at a broad range of …