Test of Host-Parasite Coevolution

Pierre Legendre
November 2001
Département de Sciences Biologiques
Université de Montréal
This program tests the hypothesis of coevolution between a clade of hosts and a clade of parasites. The null hypothesis of the global test is that the evolution of the two groups, as revealed by the two phylogenetic trees and the set of host-parasite association links, has been independent. The method, which is described in detail in Legendre et al. (2002), requires some estimates of the phylogenetic trees or phylogenetic distances, and also a description of the host-parasite associations (H-P links) observed in nature. Two types of test are produced by the program: a global test of coevolution and a test on each H-P link. Reference:
Legendre, P., Y. Desdevises and E. Bazin. 2002. A statistical test for host-parasite coevolution. Systematic Biology 51(2): 217-234.