A host-microparasite model with a resistant host

The theory of heterozygote advantage is often used to explain the genetic variation found in natural populations. If a large population randomly mates and the various genotypes have the same growth and death rates, the evolution of the genotypes follows Hardy-Weinberg proportions and polymorphism results. When other environmental stresses, like predators, prey and diseases, are present, polymorphism may or may not occur depending on how the various genotypes are affected by the stress. In this paper, we use a basic host-microparasite model to demonstrate that polymorphism can occur even if one genotype suffers a higher death rate than the others in the absence of the parasite if the heterozygote has resistance or immunity to the parasite. (C) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.