How complex systems theory sheds new light on the adaptive dynamics of
viral populations
Viruses are everywhere, infecting all sorts of living organisms, from
the tiniest bacteria to the largest mammals. Many are harmful parasites,
but viruses also play a major role as drivers of our evolution as a
species and are essential regulators of the composition and complexity
of ecosystems on a global scale. This concise book draws on complex
systems theory to provide a fresh look at viral origins, populations,
and evolution, and the coevolutionary dynamics of viruses and their
hosts.
New viruses continue to emerge that threaten people, crops, and farm
animals. Viruses constantly evade our immune systems, and antiviral
therapies and vaccination campaigns can be powerless against them. These
unique characteristics of virus biology are a consequence of their
tremendous evolutionary potential, which enables viruses to quickly
adapt to any environmental challenge. Ricard Solé and Santiago Elena
present a unified framework for understanding viruses as complex
adaptive systems. They show how the application of complex systems
theory to viral dynamics has provided new insights into the development
of AIDS in patients infected with HIV-1, the emergence of new antigenic
variants of the influenza A virus, and other cutting-edge advances.
Essential reading for biologists, physicists, and mathematicians
interested in complexity, Viruses as Complex Adaptive Systems also
extends the analogy of viruses to the evolution of other replicators
such as computer viruses, cancer, and languages.
