Apparent competition and recovery from infection

We use mathematical models to analyse how the recovery rate from infection influences the fitness of a host in a setting of interspecific competition. We show that sub-optimal immunity against pathogens can be advantageous for the host in the presence of cross-species infection. Weaker immunity allows the parasite to be used as a biological weapon, and this increases the fitness of the host relative to a competitor. A parameter region is observed in which the outcome of competition depends on the initial conditions. We extend this model and consider the dynamics in a spatial setting and find that the outcome depends on the migration rate of the host species. At low migration rates, coexistence of the host species is possible across space. For higher migration rates, the host species characterized by a lower recovery rate can invade the territory of its competitor. Finally, we study these dynamics in an evolutionary setting. Although a lower recovery rate from infection can increase the competitive ability of a species, we find that evolution maximizes the recovery rate and minimizes parasite burden. The models presented are related to the concept of apparent competition, and our results are discussed in relation to both theoretical and empirical studies.