Conflict and cooperation amid host-parasitoid interactions

Abstract

Microorganisms that infect other organisms may provide an unexpected source of heritable phenotypic variations, particularly among insects and other arthropods. Symbionts can contribute to host adaptive evolution, especially when they are transmitted vertically from parent to offspring. The frequency of horizontal, or contagious, transmission can have an impact on phenotypic effects in the host, and may help to explain how a virus can change the behavior of its wasp host. Symbiotic interactions are intrinsically multidimensional.