Final answer:
Pathogens typically evolve faster than their hosts due to shorter generation times and higher mutation rates, leading to rapid adaptation and coevolution. The correct answer to the student's question is 'a) Faster'.
Step-by-step explanation:
Pathogens generally evolve faster than their hosts. This rapid evolution is primarily due to their shorter generation times and higher mutation rates, which allow them to adapt quickly to selective pressures, such as the immune defenses of their hosts. These adaptations can include developing resistance to drugs or immune system evasion. In most cases, evolution occurs as a sort of arms race, where both the pathogen and the host are constantly adapting in response to each other's evolutionary changes, a phenomenon known as coevolution.
Considering this information, the answer to the student's question is a) Faster, as pathogens typically evolve at a quicker pace when compared with their hosts. This is an example of adaptive evolution, where organisms gain traits that allow them to survive and prosper in a changing environment, such as in the presence of an immune response or treatment from an antibiotic.
To elaborate on coevolution with an example supporting the Red Queen Hypothesis, consider b) Individuals of a snail population that reproduce asexually die out after a parasite invades its territory. This example demonstrates the necessity for genetic diversity and sexual reproduction as mechanisms for species to keep pace with the evolving challenges presented by parasites and other forms of competition.