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Following the Dynamics of Structural Variants in Experimentally Evolved Populations
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A case study in evolutionary contingency.

Zachary D Blount1

  • 1BEACON Center for the Study of Evolution in Action, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA; Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA.

Studies in History and Philosophy of Biological and Biomedical Sciences
|January 21, 2016
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Biological evolution is shaped by history, with random and fixed processes influencing outcomes. The Escherichia coli Long-Term Evolution Experiment (LTEE) demonstrates how historical events, like specific mutations, enable novel traits such as aerobic citrate use.

Keywords:
Escherichia coliEvolutionary contingencyEvolutionary noveltyExperimental evolutionHistorical contingencyLong-Term Evolution Experiment

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Area of Science:

  • Evolutionary biology
  • Microbial evolution
  • Historical contingency

Background:

  • Biological evolution involves stochastic and deterministic processes acting on lineages with long histories.
  • The role of historical contingency in shaping evolutionary outcomes is a subject of ongoing debate.
  • Microbial evolution experiments, like the Escherichia coli Long-Term Evolution Experiment (LTEE), provide empirical insights into historical contingency.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the historical contingency of evolutionary innovation.
  • To examine the role of prior mutations in enabling novel traits.
  • To discuss the implications of evolutionary case studies for understanding historical contingency.

Main Methods:

  • The study reviews the Escherichia coli Long-Term Evolution Experiment (LTEE).
  • Analysis of a specific evolutionary event: the evolution of aerobic citrate utilization (Cit(+)) in one LTEE population.
  • Experimental replaying of the population's evolutionary history to identify critical precursor mutations.

Main Results:

  • Aerobic growth on citrate (Cit(+)), a novel trait for *E. coli*, evolved in one LTEE population after over 30,000 generations.
  • Experimental replays revealed that the evolution of the Cit(+) trait was contingent upon earlier mutations.
  • These potentiating mutations rendered the Cit(+) trait mutationally accessible, highlighting historical dependence.

Conclusions:

  • The evolution of novel traits can be historically contingent, depending on the availability of specific precursor mutations.
  • Microbial evolution experiments offer valuable models for studying the impact of history on evolutionary trajectories.
  • Understanding historical contingency is crucial for comprehending the core processes and unpredictability of evolution.