What if two bidirectionally incompatible Wolbachia infections were to be introduced into the same population?


The above simulation is similar to a prior simulation, but individuals infected with different Wolbachia types (red and dark blue colors) are introduced simultaneously into an uninfected population (light blue color).


The two infections invade and replace the uninfected individuals.  When they meet, they reach an impasse.  This type of event has been hypothesized to contribute toward reproductive isolation and speciation. 


However, the above simulation is inherently unstable.  Once the balance is tipped in favor of one infection type, the impasse can be broken and one infection type is eliminated.

Bidirectional CI