Recombination and selection in populations of plant pathogens

Abstract

A theoretical model has been used to study the dynamics of the frequencies of the following: a virulence gene which is selected by part of the host plant population; an unnecessary virulence gene, which is not required for infection of the host; and the gametic disequilibrium between the two genes. If the two genes are not initially in gametic equilibrium, the frequency of the unnecessary virulence may be altered greatly by hitch‐hiking selection, because of the increased frequency of the selected virulence. The hitchhiking effect is strongest if reproduction is entirely asexual, but can still be significant if the frequency of recombination is less than the fraction of the host population which consists of selectively resistant plants. The frequency of recombination may be reduced if reproduction is partly clonal, rather than fully sexual, or if the two genes are linked. Selection against unnecessary virulence may give rise to complex dynamics of both virulence alleles; in particular, the frequency of an unnecessary virulence can rise substantially, by hitch‐hiking selection, even if there is some sex or recombination. The direction in which the unnecessary virulence's frequency changes depends on the sign of the gametic disequilibrium between it and the selected gene, and on the existence of selection against unnecessary virulence. If there is no such selection, the long‐term dynamics of genotype frequencies in a largely asexual pathogen population may be unpredictable. Consequently, disease control strategies based on planned replacements of one resistance gene by another are unlikely to be effective.