A.Thaliana

The long-term maintenance of a resistance polymorphism through diffuse interactions

Plant resistance (R) genes are a crucial component in plant defence against pathogens. Although R genes often fail to provide durable resistance in an agricultural context, they frequently persist as long-lived balanced polymorphisms in nature. Standard theory explains the maintenance of such polymorphisms through a balance of the costs and benefits of resistance and virulence in a tightly coevolving host–pathogen pair. However, many plant-pathogen interactions lack such specificity.

See also

Publication references:

  • Nature letter (512, 436–440) T. L. Karasov, J. M. Kniskern, L. Gao, B. J. DeYoung, J. Ding1, U. Dubiella, R. O. Lastra, S. Nallu, F. Roux, R. W. Innes, L. G. Barrett, R. R. Hudson & J. Bergelson

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Modification date : 07 June 2023 | Publication date : 03 February 2015 | Redactor : Gaël Esteve