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Artificially selecting bacterial communities using propagule strategies
Chang-Yu Chang1,2, Melisa L Osborne3,4, Djordje Bajic1,2
1Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, 06520.
Evolution; International Journal of Organic Evolution
|September 5, 2020
Summary
Artificial selection can manipulate microbial communities. Experiments showed selected communities performed better than controls, though improvements varied based on the selection strategy and community type.
Area of Science:
- Microbial Ecology
- Evolutionary Biology
- Synthetic Biology
Background:
- Artificial selection is a powerful tool for directing microbial community evolution.
- Understanding community-level selection is crucial for applications in ecology and biotechnology.
- Previous studies have explored manipulating microbial traits, but community-level dynamics require further investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the effectiveness of artificial selection on microbial communities.
- To compare different selection strategies ('propagule' selection vs. random selection) on community function.
- To analyze the impact of initial community diversity and selection pressure on evolutionary trajectories.
Main Methods:
- Two artificial selection experiments were conducted using 'propagule' selection.
- Experiment 1: Defined microbial strains selected for amylolytic activity.
- Experiment 2: Diverse soil microbial communities selected for cross-feeding potential, contrasted with random selection controls.
Main Results:
- Selected communities consistently achieved higher mean function compared to controls in both experiments.
- In Experiment 1, control communities declined, while selected lines maintained function.
- In Experiment 2, high initial variance and subsequent 'fixation' of a top-performing community drove the response.
Conclusions:
- Artificial selection effectively manipulates microbial community function.
- Selection outcomes are influenced by experimental design, initial diversity, and the specific trait under selection.
- Results align with breeding theory and highlight limitations for future community selection experiments.
