Correct option is B
The Red Queen hypothesis explains the co-evolution between hosts and parasites. It suggests that both species must constantly evolve to survive: the host adapts to combat the parasite, and the parasite evolves to overcome the host's defenses. This leads to an ongoing evolutionary "arms race," where each species must continuously evolve just to maintain its relative position.
Information Booster:
- The Red Queen hypothesis explains how organisms must constantly adapt and evolve to survive against evolving threats like parasites.
- Reciprocal selective pressures: Parasites evolve to exploit their hosts, and hosts evolve defenses to avoid exploitation, creating a cycle of continuous adaptation.
- The theory helps explain why parasites like viruses and bacteria evolve rapidly compared to their hosts.
- Host defenses include mechanisms like immune system adaptations, which evolve in response to parasitic challenges.
- It has important implications for understanding the evolution of immune systems and pathogen virulence.
- The Red Queen hypothesis is widely applicable in understanding evolutionary dynamics between hosts and pathogens.
Additional Information:
- Kin selection involves behaviors that help relatives, increasing the probability of shared genetic material being passed on. It doesn’t directly explain host-parasite co-evolution.
- Runaway selection is associated with exaggerated traits developed through sexual selection, not typically related to parasite-host interactions.
- Handicap principle refers to how costly traits signal fitness in sexual selection but does not apply directly to the co-evolution of hosts and parasites.
