The Red King hypothesis contrasts with the

Red Queen hypothesis The Red Queen hypothesis is a hypothesis in evolutionary biology proposed in 1973, that species must constantly adapt, evolve, and proliferate in order to survive while pitted against ever-evolving opposing species. The hypothesis was intended ...

, where mutualistic and cooperative interactions favor the fitness of a set of individuals through slow evolution, as opposed to having competitive interactions or having an " arms race". The hypothesis posits that individuals from different communities can establish positive interactions for long periods of time when there is a great benefit for both parties, also through mutual help, individuals from different species (communities) can share different tasks to build a niche ( Black Queen hypothesis), which avoid spending energy in competing and increasing their resilience over environmental stress. The types of interaction between species determine how fast they

coevolve In biology, coevolution occurs when two or more species reciprocally affect each other's evolution through the process of natural selection. The term sometimes is used for two traits in the same species affecting each other's evolution, as well ...

: parasites and their hosts are thought to co-evolve more rapidly, while partners in a mutualistic relationship are thought to evolve more slowly. The Red King effect drives slower-evolving species to obtain a higher proportion of long-term benefits compared to competing fast-evolving species. It has been described that the effects of Red Queen and Red King can switch with each other at the convenience of the species, their effects also vary during the life time of populations, so the changes are also reflected in their evolution rates. An attempt has been made to identify why there is a switch between Red Queen and Red King effects and some studies have postulated that it is mainly due to environmental variables such as access to resources and environmental conditions, as postulated by the

stress gradient hypothesis The stress gradient hypothesis (SGH) is an evolutionary theory in microbial ecology and community ecology that provides a framework to predict when positive or negative interactions should be observed in an habitat. The SGH states that facilitati ...

and the mutualism-parasitism continuum hypothesis.{{cite journal , vauthors = Mandyam KG, Jumpponen A , title = Mutualism-parasitism paradigm synthesized from results of root-endophyte models , journal = Frontiers in Microbiology , volume = 5 , pages = 776 , date = 2015-01-12 , pmid = 25628615 , pmc = 4290590 , doi = 10.3389/fmicb.2014.00776 , doi-access = free An example of the Red King hypothesis is the microbialite and coral communities that are assemblages of different species that can persist for thousands of years as well as some facilitating organisms such as desert plants and mycorrhizae.

References

Evolution

See also

References