Parasite avoidance is a host defense that reduces an individual's contact rate with parasites.
We investigate avoidance as a primary driver of variation among individuals in their risk of …

Biparental sex is widespread in nature, yet costly relative to uniparental reproduction. It is
generally unclear why self-fertilizing or asexual lineages do not readily invade outcrossing …

Gene flow into populations can increase additive genetic variation and introduce novel
beneficial alleles, thus facilitating adaptation. However, gene flow may also impede …

Host–parasite interactions may often be subject to opposing evolutionary forces, which likely
influence the evolutionary trajectories of both partners. Natural selection and genetic drift are …

Host susceptibility to parasites can vary over space and time. Costs associated with the
maintenance of host defence are thought to account for a portion of this variation …

Background Adaptation to a stressor can lead to costs on other traits. These costs play an
unavoidable role on fitness and influence the evolutionary trajectory of a population. Host …

The ubiquity of outcrossing in plants and animals is difficult to explain given its costs relative
to self‐fertilization. Despite these costs, exposure to changing environmental conditions can …

Host populations often evolve defenses against parasites due to the significant fitness costs
imposed by infection. However, adaptation to a specific parasite may alter the effectiveness …

A core hypothesis in coevolutionary theory proposes that parasites adapt to specifically
infect common host genotypes. Under this hypothesis, parasites function as agents of …

Hosts can reduce the negative fitness effects of parasite infection by avoiding contact with
parasites or by resisting infection after contact. Because of their shared outcome, avoidance …