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Related Experiment Videos

Antagonistic coevolution between a bacterium and a bacteriophage.

Angus Buckling1, Paul B Rainey

  • 1Department of Plant Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3RB, UK. bssagjb@bath.ac.uk

Proceedings. Biological Sciences
|May 25, 2002
PubMed
Summary

Host-parasite coevolution drives rapid genetic divergence. This study shows bacterial hosts and bacteriophage parasites engaged in a long-term evolutionary arms race, leading to specialized adaptations.

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Area of Science:

  • Evolutionary Biology
  • Microbial Ecology
  • Genetics

Background:

  • Antagonistic coevolution between hosts and parasites influences population dynamics, sexual reproduction, and parasite virulence.
  • Coevolution is hypothesized to drive rapid genetic differentiation in host and parasite populations.
  • Empirical evidence for host-parasite coevolution's impact on genetic divergence remains limited.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the empirical evidence for long-term antagonistic coevolution between a bacterial host and its viral parasite (bacteriophage).
  • To assess the impact of this coevolutionary arms race on genetic divergence between host and parasite populations.

Main Methods:

  • Established replicate communities of a bacterial host and bacteriophage parasite.

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  • Monitored coevolution over an extended period.
  • Analyzed genetic changes in both host and parasite populations, focusing on infectivity and resistance.

    • Main Results:

    • Demonstrated a long-term evolutionary arms race between bacterial resistance and bacteriophage infectivity.
    • Coevolution was primarily driven by directional selection, expanding the range of compatible host and parasite genotypes.
    • Replicate communities exhibited divergent coevolutionary trajectories, even when initiated with identical genetic material.
    • Resulted in bacterial populations specifically adapted to their own phage populations over others.

    Conclusions:

    • Antagonistic coevolution between hosts and parasites can lead to significant genetic divergence.
    • Bacteriophage-bacterial host systems provide a tractable model for studying coevolutionary dynamics and adaptation.
    • Coevolutionary outcomes can be context-dependent, leading to divergent specialization in geographically structured populations.