Dynamics of evolutionary succession and coordination between opposite adaptations in cuckoo hosts under antagonistic coevolution.

ABSTRACT: Adaptations are driven by specific natural selection pressures throughout biological evolution. However, these cannot inherently align with future shifts in selection dynamics, thus manifesting in opposing directions. We performed field experiments on cuckoo hosts to investigate the coexistence and conflict between two evolutionarily successive but opposing behavioral adaptations-egg retrieval and rejection. Our findings provide key insights. (1) Egg rejection against brood parasites in hosts reshapes egg retrieval to flexible reactions-retrieval, ignoring, or outright rejection of foreign eggs outside the nest cup, departing from instinctual retrieval. (2) Parasitism pressure and egg mimicry by parasites remarkably alter the proportions of the three host reactions. Host species with highe

SUBMITTER: Yang C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10991519 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature