Population Dynamics of Heritable Symbionts when Accounting for the Life History Complexity of their Host

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dc.contributor.advisorMiller, Tom E.X.
dc.contributor.committeeMemberDunham, Amy
dc.contributor.committeeMemberRudolph, Volker
dc.creatorBibian, Andrew James
dc.date.accessioned2016-01-07T17:10:16Z
dc.date.available2016-01-07T17:10:16Z
dc.date.created2015-12
dc.date.issued2015-06-12
dc.date.submittedDecember 2015
dc.date.updated2016-01-07T17:10:16Z
dc.description.abstractI developed theory and experiments to understand how complex life cycles of a host affect the dynamics of their heritable symbionts, important ecological and evolutionary agents. With symbiont persistence and prevalence being a function of their effects on host fitness and transmission efficiencies, accounting for host demographic “storage,” in the form of non-reproductive or dormant host life stages, leads to unexpected results. Symbiont loss from demographic storage affects persistence similarly to loss from a host reproductive stage. Loss from host dormancy, however, affect dynamics if symbiont passage through the dormant stage occurs at a high rate, which we observed with experiments. Demographic rescue and symbiont persistence was possible, and observed, whereby stage specific symbiont benefits compensate for symbiont loss. Empirically, accounting for host dormancy in the form of a plant seed bank facilitated symbiont persistence and prevalence. Our results emphasize the importance of accounting for realistic complexity in host-symbiont dynamics.
dc.format.mimetypeapplication/pdf
dc.identifier.citationBibian, Andrew James. "Population Dynamics of Heritable Symbionts when Accounting for the Life History Complexity of their Host." (2015) Master’s Thesis, Rice University. <a href="https://hdl.handle.net/1911/87751">https://hdl.handle.net/1911/87751</a>.
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/1911/87751
dc.language.isoeng
dc.rightsCopyright is held by the author, unless otherwise indicated. Permission to reuse, publish, or reproduce the work beyond the bounds of fair use or other exemptions to copyright law must be obtained from the copyright holder.
dc.subjectHost-symbiont dynamics
dc.subjectstage structured population
dc.titlePopulation Dynamics of Heritable Symbionts when Accounting for the Life History Complexity of their Host
dc.typeThesis
dc.type.materialText
thesis.degree.departmentEcology and Evolutionary Biology
thesis.degree.disciplineNatural Sciences
thesis.degree.grantorRice University
thesis.degree.levelMasters
thesis.degree.nameMaster of Arts
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