Research Topic: fitness costs

Mitochondrial heterogeneity drives the evolution of fungicide resistance in Phytophthora sojae, with associated fitness trade-offs

Researchers studied how a plant pathogen called Phytophthora sojae develops resistance to the fungicide ametoctradin. They found that resistance builds up gradually through changes in mitochondrial DNA, where a single mutation accumulates over generations. While this mutation helps the fungus survive the fungicide, it damages its mitochondria and reduces its overall fitness, though the organism can partially compensate through increased expression of a protein called TFAM1.

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Mycotoxin tolerance affects larval competitive ability in Drosophila recens (Diptera: Drosophilidae)

Researchers studied fruit flies that can tolerate mushroom poisons to see if this ability comes with a cost. They found that flies with high poison tolerance from one geographic location showed delayed development and lower survival rates when competing with other larvae, but this effect was not seen in flies from another location. This suggests that the cost of tolerating poisons depends on where the flies are from.

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