Evolutionary transitions in controls reconcile adaptation with continuity of evolution

Area of Science:

• Evolutionary biology
• Systems biology
• Network science

Background:

• Evolutionary processes require continuous innovation alongside local adaptation.
• Complex traits can be modeled as networks, revealing principles of adaptation and evolution.
• Network controllability, encompassing robustness and evolvability, is key to understanding trait evolution.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose network controllability as a unifying concept explaining the balance between robustness and evolvability in evolution.
• To investigate evolutionary transitions in the degeneracy of metabolic networks and their control topology.
• To demonstrate how changes in network controls drive evolutionary phenomena.

Main Methods:

• Conceptual framework based on network controllability.
• Analysis of evolutionary transitions in metabolic network degeneracy.
• Examination of control node function and network topology changes.

Main Results:

• Transitions in network controllability, specifically control topology, explain the balance between robustness and evolvability.
• Changes in metabolic network controls are linked to phenotypic plasticity, genetic assimilation, and macroevolutionary diversification.
• Accumulating redundancy in one type of network control leads to the emergence of others, creating evolutionary cycles.

Conclusions:

• Network controllability provides a framework for understanding how evolution reconciles local adaptation with continuous change.
• Evolutionary cycles of network controllability are a common rule underlying diverse evolutionary phenomena.
• Understanding network control topology is crucial for explaining evolutionary trajectories and diversification.