Evolutionary predictions for a parasite metapopulation: Modelling salmon louse resistance to pest controls in aquaculture.

ABSTRACT: Pests often evolve resistance to pest controls used in agriculture and aquaculture. The rate of pest adaptation is influenced by the type of control, the selective pressure it imposes, and the gene flow between farms. By understanding how these factors influence evolution at the metapopulation level, pest management strategies that prevent resistance from evolving can be developed. We developed a model for the metapopulation and evolutionary dynamics of the salmon louse (Lepeophtheirus salmonis), which is a major parasite affecting salmon aquaculture. Different management scenarios were simulated across a network of salmon farms covering half of Norway, and their effects on louse epidemiology and evolution were investigated. We compared louse controls that differed in how they were

SUBMITTER: Coates A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10739098 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature