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Viral evolution is a subfield of evolutionary biology and virology that is specifically concerned with the evolution of viruses. [1] [2] Viruses have short generation times, and many—in particular RNA viruses—have relatively high mutation rates (on the order of one point mutation or more per genome per round of replication).
The viral eukaryogenesis hypothesis posits that eukaryotes are composed of three ancestral elements: a viral component that became the modern nucleus; a prokaryotic cell (an archaeon according to the eocyte hypothesis) which donated the cytoplasm and cell membrane of modern cells; and another prokaryotic cell (here bacterium) that, by endocytosis, became the modern mitochondrion or chloroplast.
In the past, there were problems with all of these hypotheses: the regressive hypothesis did not explain why even the smallest of cellular parasites do not resemble viruses in any way. The escape hypothesis did not explain the complex capsids and other structures on virus particles.
The coevolution, or "virus-first" hypothesis, conflicts with the definition of viruses, because viruses depend on host cells. [ 20 ] [ 21 ] Also, viruses are recognised as ancient, and to have origins that pre-date the divergence of life into the three domains . [ 22 ]
[5] [6] In February 2022, the WHO Director General visited China and met the Chinese premier and discussed the need for "stronger collaboration on Covid-19 virus origins, rooted in science and evidence". [7] [8] In July 2023, a review article in The New York Times details information to date about the origins of the Covid-19 virus. [9]
Viral phylodynamics is the study of how epidemiological, immunological, and evolutionary processes act and potentially interact to shape viral phylogenies. [1] Since the term was coined in 2004, research on viral phylodynamics has focused on transmission dynamics in an effort to shed light on how these dynamics impact viral genetic variation.
Metagenomics can be used to study viruses effects on a given ecosystem and how they effect the microbiome as well as monitoring viruses in an ecosystem for possible spillover into human populations. [1] Within the ecosystems, viruses can be studied to determine how they compete with each other as well as viral effects on functions of the host.
A founder virus can introduce a different phenotype for the ensuing evolution. Evolution of viruses in nature and as disease agents can be viewed as succession of mutant spectrum alterations, subjected to expansions and reductions of population size in a continuous interplay of positive and negative selection and random drift.