Effects of Life History and Genome Architecture on ssRNA Virus Evolution and Extinction

Single-stranded RNA viruses have evolved to survive extremely high mutation rates. The ubiquity and effect of ssRNA viral diseases makes an understanding of the the oretical and mechanical underpinnings of rapid viral evolution vital to our ability to control them. In this body of work, we explore some of the ways in which ssRNA viruses can uncouple the rate at which variation is generated (mutation rate) from the rate at which variation is observed (measured rate of molecular evolution).;A combination of replication strategies and genome architecture allow ssRNA viruses to evolve rapidly while avoiding many of the consequences of their error-prone replication process. However, this also means that ssRNA viruses exist at the very periphery of viable parameter space. Our models of viral evolution suggest that this can be exploited as a means of viral control, an idea that is reflected in the relatively new and experimental process of lethal mutagenesis.;We also highlight the general need for more molecular data and better estimates of viral replication parameters. Ironically, the latter are rare in the scientific literature because of a lack of awareness of their impact on the rates of ssRNA virus evolution, and not because of any particular difficulty in obtaining them.