Tuning spatial distributions of selection pressure to suppress emergence of resistance

Thomas Tunstall, Philip G. Madgwick, Ricardo Kanitz and Möbius, Wolfram

Theoretical Population Biology, 2026, vol. 169, issue C, 15-29

Abstract: Control measures such as insecticides or antimicrobials are used to contain biological agents such as pathogenic bacteria and vectors of human and plant diseases, respectively. Following control measure application, a resistant subpopulation may eventually rise to such frequency that the control measure will be rendered ineffective: The timescale over which this occurs is the ‘effective lifetime’ of the control measure. Prolonging this timescale relaxes urgency at which novel control measures needs to be developed. Spatial heterogeneity in control measure application can influence the rate at which resistance to the control measure evolves; in the agricultural context, this fact is exploited by distributing insecticides in mosaics across cropping regions in order to slow the rate of resistance evolution.

Keywords: Pesticide; Resistance; Evolution; Spatial–temporal heterogeneity (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:thpobi:v:169:y:2026:i:c:p:15-29

DOI: 10.1016/j.tpb.2026.02.002

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