SARS-CoV-2: Cross-scale Insights from Ecology and Evolution

Celine E Snedden; Sara K Makanani; Shawn T Schwartz; Amandine Gamble; Rachel V Blakey; Benny Borremans; Sarah K Helman; Luisa Espericueta; Alondra Valencia; Andrew Endo; Michael E Alfaro; James O Lloyd-Smith

doi:10.1016/j.tim.2021.03.013

SARS-CoV-2: Cross-scale Insights from Ecology and Evolution

Trends Microbiol. 2021 Jul;29(7):593-605. doi: 10.1016/j.tim.2021.03.013. Epub 2021 Mar 26.

Affiliations

¹ Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
² Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA; La Kretz Center for California Conservation Science, Institute of the Environment and Sustainability, University of California, La Kretz Hall, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
³ Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA; I-BioStat, Data Science Institute, Hasselt University, Hasselt, Belgium; Evolutionary Ecology Group, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium.
⁴ Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA. Electronic address: [email protected].
⁵ Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA. Electronic address: [email protected].

Abstract

Ecological and evolutionary processes govern the fitness, propagation, and interactions of organisms through space and time, and viruses are no exception. While coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) research has primarily emphasized virological, clinical, and epidemiological perspectives, crucial aspects of the pandemic are fundamentally ecological or evolutionary. Here, we highlight five conceptual domains of ecology and evolution - invasion, consumer-resource interactions, spatial ecology, diversity, and adaptation - that illuminate (sometimes unexpectedly) the emergence and spread of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). We describe the applications of these concepts across levels of biological organization and spatial scales, including within individual hosts, host populations, and multispecies communities. Together, these perspectives illustrate the integrative power of ecological and evolutionary ideas and highlight the benefits of interdisciplinary thinking for understanding emerging viruses.

Keywords: COVID-19 pandemic; coronaviruses; disease ecology; emerging infectious diseases; interdisciplinary science; zoonotic spillover.

Publication types

Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.
Review

MeSH terms

Animals
COVID-19 / epidemiology
COVID-19 / virology*
Chiroptera / virology
Disease Reservoirs / veterinary*
Disease Reservoirs / virology
Ecology*
Evolution, Molecular*
Humans
SARS-CoV-2 / genetics*
Zoonoses / virology

Grants and funding

T32 GM008185/GM/NIGMS NIH HHS/United States