 Red Queen hypothesis

The Red Queen hypothesis (also referred to as Red Queen's, the Red Queen effect, Red Queen's race, Red Queen dynamics) is an evolutionary hypothesis which proposes that species must constantly adapt, evolve, and proliferate in order to survive while pitted against ever-evolving opposing species.The hypothesis was intended to explain the constant (age independent) extinction probability as observed in the paleontological record caused by co-evolution between competing species; however, it has also been suggested that the Red Queen hypothesis explains the advantage of sexual reproduction (as opposed to asexual reproduction) at the level of individuals, and the positive correlation between speciation and extinction rates in most higher taxa.