5 | Conclusion
The spread and impact of existing and emerging infectious diseases is
expected to intensify as a result of ongoing land use change, climate
effects and anthropogenic vectors (Daszak et al. 2001; Tompkinset al. 2015; Price et al. 2019). Disease responses in
individual species have the potential to influence wider patterns of
biodiversity, ecosystem function, human health and agriculture,
particularly those of high functional or economic importance (Daszaket al. 2001; Wiethoelter et al. 2015; Cunningham et
al. 2017). Consequently, understanding the ability of such species to
adapt to infectious disease is becoming increasingly important. While it
has been proposed that selection in some species may fail to keep pace
with rates of pathogen evolution and the emergence and turn-over of
novel diseases (Hawley et al. 2013; Ujvari et al. 2014),
our study demonstrates that rapid evolutionary responses within a single
generation are possible. This study highlights the value of genome scans
for identifying signatures of adaptation among natural populations
spanning infection gradients and characterising putative genes that
contribute to disease resistant phenotypes. Future studies of this
nature will be critical for understanding the adaptability of other
species threatened by infectious diseases, informing the management new
outbreaks, and future proofing populations with little or no resistance.