The statement "Natural selection should favor pathogens that strike an optimal balance between the costs and benefits of harming their hosts" describes ________.

Question

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The statement describes the trade-off hypothesis, which suggests that pathogens evolve to strike a balance between the costs of harming their hosts (e.g., reducing the host's ability to reproduce or survive) and the benefits of spreading and reproducing within the host.

The Statement "Natural Selection Should Favor Pathogens That Strike an Optimal