Phenotypic mismatches reveal escape from arms-race coevolution.

ABSTRACT: Because coevolution takes place across a broad scale of time and space, it is virtually impossible to understand its dynamics and trajectories by studying a single pair of interacting populations at one time. Comparing populations across a range of an interaction, especially for long-lived species, can provide insight into these features of coevolution by sampling across a diverse set of conditions and histories. We used measures of prey traits (tetrodotoxin toxicity in newts) and predator traits (tetrodotoxin resistance of snakes) to assess the degree of phenotypic mismatch across the range of their coevolutionary interaction. Geographic patterns of phenotypic exaggeration were similar in prey and predators, with most phenotypically elevated localities occurring along the central Oregon c

SUBMITTER: Hanifin CT 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2265764 | biostudies-literature | 2008 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature