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Bacteria-phage antagonistic coevolution in soil.

Pedro Gómez1, Angus Buckling

  • 1Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3PS, UK. pedro.gomezlopez@zoo.ox.ac.uk

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Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Bacteria and their viruses (phages) rapidly coevolve in soil, showing fluctuating selection dynamics unlike in vitro arms races. This suggests microbial community structure is shaped by ongoing, cost-constrained coevolution.

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Area of Science:

  • Microbial Ecology
  • Evolutionary Biology
  • Environmental Microbiology

Background:

  • Bacteria and their viruses (phages) exhibit rapid coevolution in laboratory settings.
  • The ecological relevance of in vitro coevolution dynamics to natural environments remains largely unexplored.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the dynamics of bacteria-phage coevolution within a natural soil microbial community.
  • To compare soil coevolution patterns with established in vitro (test tube) models.

Main Methods:

  • Employed a "mark-recapture" methodology to track bacterial and phage populations in a soil environment.
  • Analyzed evolutionary trajectories of resistance and infectivity over time.

Main Results:

  • Demonstrated rapid coevolution between bacteria and phages in the soil community.
  • Observed "fluctuating selection dynamics" in soil, where hosts were more resistant to contemporary than past/future phages.
  • Contrasted soil dynamics with "arms race dynamics" typical of in vitro evolution, attributing differences to fitness costs limiting resistance.

Conclusions:

  • Coevolution in soil differs significantly from laboratory settings, characterized by fluctuating selection.
  • Fitness costs likely constrain the evolution of high resistance levels in soil environments.
  • Rapid bacteria-phage coevolution is a significant factor in structuring natural microbial communities.