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Switching and growth for microbial populations in catastrophic responsive environments
Paolo Visco1, Rosalind J Allen, Satya N Majumdar
1SUPA, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom.
Biophysical Journal
|April 8, 2010
Summary
Microbial phase variation, or gene expression switching, can be advantageous in responsive, catastrophic environments. This strategy allows microbes to tune their switching rate to minimize environmental impact and maximize growth.
Area of Science:
- Microbial Ecology
- Evolutionary Biology
- Theoretical Biology
Background:
- Phase variation (stochastic switching of gene expression) is common in microbes.
- It is hypothesized to aid adaptation to changing environments.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the advantage of phase variation for microbial growth in environments with occasional catastrophic events.
- To investigate the role of environmental responsiveness in the efficacy of phase variation.
Main Methods:
- Development of a theoretical model of microbial growth with phase variation.
- Analysis of a microbial population switching between two phenotypic states with different growth rates.
- Modeling of catastrophic environmental events influenced by population composition.
Main Results:
- Phase variation can be advantageous in responsive environments.
- Two strategies emerge: maximizing instantaneous growth or tuning switching to minimize environmental response.
- The optimal strategy depends on model parameters.
Conclusions:
- Phase variation offers a mechanism for microbes to maximize growth in responsive, catastrophic environments.
- This contrasts with previous findings where switching was favored in unresponsive environments.
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