Red Queen Coevolution on Fitness Landscapes

TL;DR

This paper explores the concept of coevolution through the Red Queen hypothesis, examining how species continuously adapt on interconnected fitness landscapes across various biological scales.

Contribution

It introduces the Red Queen hypothesis in the context of fitness landscapes and reviews modeling approaches for coevolution across different biological systems.

Findings

Red Queen hypothesis supported by empirical evidence

Modeling of coevolution on simple and rugged landscapes

Insights into coevolution across multiple biological scales

Abstract

Species do not merely evolve, they also coevolve with other organisms. Coevolution is a major force driving interacting species to continuously evolve ex- ploring their fitness landscapes. Coevolution involves the coupling of species fit- ness landscapes, linking species genetic changes with their inter-specific ecological interactions. Here we first introduce the Red Queen hypothesis of evolution com- menting on some theoretical aspects and empirical evidences. As an introduction to the fitness landscape concept, we review key issues on evolution on simple and rugged fitness landscapes. Then we present key modeling examples of coevolution on different fitness landscapes at different scales, from RNA viruses to complex ecosystems and macroevolution.