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Organisms that are well-adapted to their environment are more likely to survive and reproduce. However, natural selection does not lead to perfectly adapted organisms. Several factors constrain natural selection.

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Natural selection influences the frequencies of particular alleles and phenotypes within populations in several different ways. Primarily, natural selection can be directional, stabilizing, or disruptive. Directional selection favors one extreme trait and shifts the population towards that phenotype while selecting against individuals displaying alternate traits. Stabilizing selection favors an intermediate trait with a narrow range of variation. Deviation from the optimal phenotype towards an...

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Daily Transfers, Archiving Populations, and Measuring Fitness in the Long-Term Evolution Experiment with Escherichia coli

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Rapidly fluctuating environments constrain coevolutionary arms races by impeding selective sweeps.

Ellie Harrison¹, Anna-Liisa Laine, Mikael Hietala

¹Department of Biology, University of York, York YO10 5DD, UK.

Proceedings. Biological Sciences

|June 14, 2013

Summary

Temporal environmental heterogeneity impacts coevolution. Fine-grained, rapid fluctuations in productivity constrained bacteria-phage coevolution by impeding resistance allele selection.

Keywords:

antagonistic coevolution arms race experimental evolution exploiter–victim host–parasite natural enemy

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Area of Science:

Evolutionary Biology
Ecology
Microbial Ecology

Background:

Temporal environmental heterogeneity is pervasive but its impact on coevolutionary dynamics is poorly understood.
Productivity fluctuations can drive antagonistic coevolutionary arms races, leading to broader host resistance and parasite infectivity.
The scale (grain) of environmental heterogeneity may critically influence these coevolutionary outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate how the grain of environmental heterogeneity, specifically productivity fluctuations, affects bacteria-phage coevolution.
To determine if environmental heterogeneity constrains coevolutionary rates and the evolution of resistance.
To elucidate the mechanisms by which environmental fluctuations influence selective sweeps.

Main Methods:

Utilized a bacteria-phage experimental evolution system.
Manipulated the grain of temporal environmental heterogeneity by varying the frequency of productivity fluctuations.
Monitored coevolutionary trajectories, including rates of adaptation and the evolution of resistance.

Main Results:

Environmental heterogeneity constrained antagonistic coevolution between bacteria and phages.
The constraining effect was dependent on the grain of heterogeneity; fine-grained, rapid fluctuations most strongly limited coevolution.
Rapid fluctuations impeded the selective sweeps of resistance alleles, suggesting a mechanism for constraint.

Conclusions:

Fine-grained temporal environmental heterogeneity can limit the rate and extent of antagonistic coevolutionary arms races.
The impact of heterogeneity on coevolution is scale-dependent, with rapid fluctuations being particularly restrictive.
Impeding selective sweeps is a key mechanism by which fine-grained heterogeneity constrains coevolution.