Coevolution

Nature uses extraordinarily ingenious techniques to avoid conflict and competition, and cooperation is extraordinarily widespread throughout all of nature. 

A little less intimate than symbiosis is the cooperation exhibited by coevolution. In this instance, two or more species have developed a mutual dependence that is very profound, even essential. Usually, this mutual dependence involves the forms and functions of physical features of one species that match the complementary forms and functions of another species. In other cases, one species has modified its behavior to match the complementary behavior of another species. The protozoan that causes malaria, Plasmodium, has developed a cooperative arrangement with the Anopheles mosquito, wherein the mosquito ingests Plasmodium from an infected individual and transmits the disease to another healthy individual during her next feeding. The mosquito is said to be the vector for the disease. 

Hippos deliberately splay their toes and spread their legs to provide easy access to the fish. The hippos even visit places where fish congregate in order to solidt cleanings. 

The hippopotamus depends on fish to clean its body. (Courtesy of Photo Group Library Ltd., London, UK.) 

---

Mammano F, Petit C, Clavel F (1998) Resistance-associated loss of viral fitness in human immunodeficiency vims type 1 phenotypic analysis of protease and gag coevolution in protease inhibitor-treated patients. J Virol 72 7632-7637... 

Dodson, C. H. 1970. The role of chemical attractants in orchid pollination. Pages 83-107 in K. L. Chambers (ed.) Biochemical Coevolution. Oregon State University Press, Corvallis. Downie, S. R. 1988. Morphological, cytological, and flavonoid vaiiabihty of the Arnica angusti-folia aggregate (Asteraceae). Can. J. Bot. 64 24-39. 

Darlison, MG and Richter, D (1999) Multiple genes for neuropeptides and their receptors coevolution and physiology. Trends Neurosci 22 81-88. 

The evolutionary history of symbiotic nitrogen fixers is therefore a tale of coevolution, which occurred in the shadow of their hosts, chasing their growing roots, and striving for adaptation. It is an example of how bacterial genetics has managed to keep pace with the creative power of eukaryotic sexual recombination. Mobile replicons, insertion elements, and symbiotic islands prone to move have helped rhizobia to succeed in their pursuit. The race, naturally, is not over and, looking at it from a distance, what we have. seen, compared to what we have yet to see, is probably just a cloud of dust. 

Karlsson I, Antonsson L, Shi Y, et al. Coevolution of RANTES sensitivity and mode of CCR5 receptor use by human immunodeficiency virus type 1 of the R5 phenotype. J Virol 2004 78(21) 11807-11815. 

Although there is evidence that all poly(HA) depolymerases cleave the polyesters by the same mechanism (catalytic triad), the poly(3HO) depolymerase differs considerably from poly(HASCL) depolymerases in terms of primary sequence and polymer-binding. This might be due to different approaches of these enzymes to get access to the polymers reflecting the distinctive physicochemical properties of poly(HASCL) and poly(HMCLA) rather than coevolution. 

Durham, W. (1991). Coevolution Genes, Culture and Human Diversity. Stanford University Press,... 

The coevolution of H2 gas in electroless deposition processes is a phenomenon that needs to be understood not only to elucidate the mechanism of deposition, but also since it impacts the properties of deposits by H inclusion. Van den Meerakker [51] first proposed a correlation between simultaneous hydrogen evolution in electroless deposition and the heat of adsorption of hydrogen. In this useful endeavor, however, he has been criticized for erroneously calculating the heats of adsorption of H at Cu by Gottesfeld et al. [52], and Group I (or SP type) metals in general by Bindra and Tweedie [53]. 

Vollrath, F. (2000a). Coevolution of behaviour and material in the spider s web. In Biomechanics in Animal Behaviour (P. Domenici, Ed.). Bios, Oxford. 

Sax DF, Stachowicz JJ, Gaines SD (eds) (2005) Species invasions insights into ecology, evolution and biogeography. Sinauer, Sunderland, MA, pp 495 Schmitt TM, Hay ME, LindquistN (1995) Constraints on chemically-mediated coevolution multiple functions for seaweed secondary metabolites. Ecology 76 107-123... 

Bergelson J, Dwyer G, Emerson JJ (2001) Models and data on plant-enemy coevolution. Ann Rev Gen 35 469M99... 

Bernstein BB, Jung N (1979) Selective pressures and coevolution in a kelp canopy community in Southern California. Ecol Monogr 49 335-355... 

Rausher MD (1996) Genetic analysis of coevolution between plants and their natural enemies. Trends Genet 12 212-217... 

Berenbaum MR (1983) Coumarins and caterpillars a case for coevolution. Evolution 37 163-179 Berenbaum MR (1991) Coumarins. In Rosenthal G, Berenbaum MR (eds) Herbivores their interactions with secondary plant metabolites. Academic, New York, pp 221-249 Berenbaum MR (2002) Postgenomic chemical ecology from genetic code to ecological interactions. J Chem Ecol 28 873-896... 

Cornell HV, Hawkins BA (2003) Herbivore responses to plant secondary compounds a test of phytochemical coevolution theory. Am Nat 161 507-522 Cronin G (2001) Resource allocation in seaweeds and marine invertebrates chemical defense patterns in relation to defense theories. In McClintock JB, Baker BJ (eds) Mar Chem Ecol. CRC, Boca Raton, FL, pp 325-354... 

Foley WJ, Moore BD (2005) Plant secondary metabolites and vertebrate herbivores - from physiological regulation to ecosystem function. Curr Opin Plant Biol 8 430 135 Freeland WJ (1991) Plant secondary metabolites biochemical coevolution with herbivores. In Palo RT, Robbins CT (eds) Plant defenses against mammalian herbivory. CRC, Boca Raton, FL, pp 61-81... 

Van Luyn MJA, Muller M, Renes J, Meijer C, Scheper RJ, Nienhuis EF, Mulder NH, Jansen PLM, De Vries EGE (1998) Transport of glutathione conjugates into secretory vesicles is mediated by the multidrug-resistance protein 1. Int J Cancer 76 55-62 Vermeij G (1994) The evolutionary interaction among species selection, escalation, and coevolution. Annu Rev Ecol Syst 25 219-236... 

Schmitt TM, Hay ME, Lindquist N (1995) Constraints on chemically mediated coevolution multiple functions for seaweed secondary metabolites. Ecology 76 107-123... 

Stowe, M. K. "Chemical Mimicry." In Chemical Mediation of Coevolution, edited by K. Spencer, 513-580. San Diego Academic Press, 1988. 

Table I shows that many domain families are widespread among fungi, plants, and metazoa and yet are absent from prokaryotes. It is assumed that these domains arose in early eukaryotes before the emergence of these three major eukaryotic lineages. Consideration of the known functions of these domains, and the proteins in which they occur, strongly suggests that emergence of several cellular functions that are unique to eukaryotes occurred in early eukaryotic history. These functions are likely to have coevolved with the abilities of the protoeukaryotic cell to reproduce sexually and to partake in cell—cell communication. Here we review several eukaryotic-specific domain families as illustrations of the coevolution of domain families with cellular functions.

---