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Related Experiment Videos

Cooperation peaks at intermediate disturbance.

Michael A Brockhurst1, Angus Buckling, Andy Gardner

  • 1School of Biological Sciences, Biosciences Building, University of Liverpool, Crown Street, Liverpool, L69 7ZB, UK. michael.brockhurst@liv.ac.uk

Current Biology : CB
|March 24, 2007
PubMed
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Ecological disturbances, like those affecting bacteria, can surprisingly promote cooperation. Intermediate disturbance levels best support cooperative traits by increasing relatedness and preventing cheaters.

Area of Science:

  • Evolutionary biology
  • Microbial ecology

Background:

  • Explaining the evolution of cooperation is a major challenge in evolutionary biology.
  • Extrinsic ecological factors, particularly disturbances, are often overlooked in understanding cooperation.
  • Disturbances are ubiquitous in nature and have significant evolutionary consequences.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the role of ecological disturbances in the evolution of cooperative traits.
  • To develop a mathematical model predicting the conditions under which cooperation evolves.
  • To experimentally test these predictions using bacterial biofilm formation.

Main Methods:

  • Development of a mathematical model to predict the evolution of cooperation under varying disturbance regimes.
  • Experimental validation using the bacterium Pseudomonas fluorescens and its cooperative biofilm formation.

Related Experiment Videos

  • Quantification of biofilm-forming bacteria and cheater proportions under different disturbance frequencies.

    • Main Results:

    • Mathematical model predicted that cooperative traits evolve most readily at intermediate disturbance levels.
    • Experimental results with Pseudomonas fluorescens supported model predictions, with peak biofilm formation at intermediate disturbance.
    • Cooperation breakdown occurred under infrequent disturbance due to cheater accumulation, while very frequent disturbance hindered cooperation by reducing population density.

    Conclusions:

    • Ecological disturbances play a crucial role in the evolution of social traits, particularly in microbes.
    • Intermediate disturbance levels are optimal for the evolution and maintenance of cooperation.
    • Understanding disturbance regimes is essential for explaining the prevalence of cooperation in natural populations.