resevol: An R package for spatially explicit models of pesticide resistance given evolving pest genomes

Citation

Duthie AB, Mangan R, McKeon CR, Tinsley MC & Bussière LF (2023) resevol: An R package for spatially explicit models of pesticide resistance given evolving pest genomes. Noble R (Editor) PLOS Computational Biology, 19 (12), Art. No.: e1011691. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pcbi.1011691

Abstract
The evolution of pesticide resistance is a widespread problem with potentially severe consequences for global food security. We introduce the resevol R package, which simulates individual-based models of pests with evolving genomes that produce complex, polygenic, and covarying traits affecting pest life history and pesticide resistance. Simulations are modelled on a spatially-explicit and highly customisable landscape in which crop and pesticide application and rotation can vary, making the package a highly flexible tool for both general and tactical models of pest management and resistance evolution. We present the key features of the resevol package and demonstrate its use for a simple example simulating pests with two covarying traits. The resevol R package is open source under GNU Public License. All source code and documentation are available on GitHub.

Keywords
Computational Theory and Mathematics; Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience; Genetics; Molecular Biology; Ecology; Modeling and Simulation; Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics

Journal
PLOS Computational Biology: Volume 19, Issue 12

People

Dr Brad Duthie

Lecturer in Environmental Modelling, Biological and Environmental Sciences

Miss Rose McKeon

Tutor, Biological and Environmental Sciences

Professor Matthew Tinsley

Professor, Biological and Environmental Sciences