Parasites exhibit a range of life-history strategies that influence spatial and temporal disease dynamics, epidemiology development and, through this, the genetic diversity and spatial structure of their populations, and the evolutionary dynamics within populations. Parasites exhibit a range of life-history traits, including different life-cycle complexity, dispersal and survival strategies, transmission modes, and dispersal ability. These are important determinants of the frequency and predictability of interactions with host species. These determinants are also involved in the ability of parasites to adapt to varying ecological factors including changes in the abiotic environment, evolution of agrosystem characteristics, and direct or indirect competition with other co-occurrence parasites species.

The aim of this Research Topic is to collect studies on plant pathogen life history traits and adaptation to environmental constraints. We will particularly appreciate empirical and theoretical articles dealing with the following topics:
• Trade-off between life-history traits
• Phenotypic consequences of adaptations - Virulence costs
• Adaptation to climatic modifications
• Adaptation to anthropic constraints – host adaptation, plant resistance adaptation, cultivar mixture, innovative crop systems
• Comparison between life-history traits in the wild and in the cultivated compartments
• Molecular bases of pathogen life-history traits
• Pathogen adaptation through experimental evolution
• Important life-history traits for the survival of pathogens outside their hosts

Important Note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.