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Evolution of New Traits in Microbes

Evolution of New Traits in Microbes

Microorganisms evolve rapidly due to their large population sizes and short generation times, often exhibiting measurable changes within days under laboratory conditions. Natural selection acts on standing genetic variation, enabling the retention and amplification of beneficial traits that confer fitness advantages in changing environments.Adaptive Pigment Regulation in RhodobacterIn Rhodobacter, a genus of purple non-sulfur bacteria, light-harvesting pigments such as bacteriochlorophyll and...

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The evolution of new genes is critical for speciation. Exon recombination, also known as exon shuffling or domain shuffling, is an important means of new gene formation. It is observed across vertebrates, invertebrates, and in some plants such as potatoes and sunflowers. During exon recombination, exons from the same or different genes recombine and produce new exon-intron combinations, which might evolve into new genes.
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Updated: Jun 13, 2026

A Reverse Genetic Approach to Test Functional Redundancy During Embryogenesis

A Reverse Genetic Approach to Test Functional Redundancy During Embryogenesis

Published on: August 11, 2010

Evolution: redundancy as an opportunity for innovation.

Kirsten Bomblies¹

¹Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA. kbomblies@oeb.harvard.edu

Current Biology : CB

|April 16, 2010

Summary

Sunflower duplicate genes evolved diverse functions after duplication. These evolutionary paths offer insights into gene evolution and sunflower domestication.

Area of Science:

Plant genetics
Evolutionary biology
Agricultural science

Background:

Gene duplication is a major driver of evolutionary innovation.
Understanding the fate of duplicated genes is crucial for crop improvement.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the evolutionary trajectories of four recently duplicated flowering genes in sunflower.
To explore the functional diversification and regulatory changes in these duplicated genes.

Main Methods:

Comparative genomics analysis
Phylogenetic reconstruction
Gene expression profiling
Functional assays (if applicable, otherwise omit or generalize)

Main Results:

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Last Updated: Jun 13, 2026

A Reverse Genetic Approach to Test Functional Redundancy During Embryogenesis

A Reverse Genetic Approach to Test Functional Redundancy During Embryogenesis

Published on: August 11, 2010

Following the Dynamics of Structural Variants in Experimentally Evolved Populations

Following the Dynamics of Structural Variants in Experimentally Evolved Populations

Published on: February 3, 2023

The four duplicated sunflower flowering genes exhibited varied evolutionary outcomes.
Evidence of neofunctionalization, where one copy acquired a novel regulatory role.
Differential expression patterns suggest distinct roles in flowering time or development.

Conclusions:

Duplicate gene evolution in sunflowers is characterized by diverse functional fates.
Neofunctionalization of duplicated genes contributes to phenotypic diversity and crop domestication.
These findings enhance our understanding of genetic mechanisms underlying sunflower evolution and breeding.