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Related Concept Videos

Symbiosis00:58

Symbiosis

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Symbiotic relationships are long-term, close interactions between individuals of different species that affect the distribution and abundance of those species. When a relationship is beneficial to both species, this is called mutualism. When the relationship is beneficial to one species but neither beneficial nor harmful to the other species, this is called commensalism. When one organism is harmed to benefit another, the relationship is known as parasitism. These types of relationships often...
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Social Exchange Theory02:06

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We have discussed why we form relationships, what attracts us to others, and different types of love. But what determines whether we are satisfied with and stay in a relationship? One theory that provides an explanation is social exchange theory. According to social exchange theory, we act as naïve economists in keeping a tally of the ratio of costs and benefits of forming and maintaining a relationship with others (Rusbult & Van Lange, 2003).
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Social Exchange Theory01:26

Social Exchange Theory

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As formulated by John Thibaut and Harold Kelley, Social Exchange Theory explains human relationships as economic-like exchanges that maximize rewards and minimize costs. This theory suggests that individuals engage in relationships to gain benefits and reduce burdens, similar to economic transactions. It has been widely applied to various types of relationships, including romantic, professional, and social interactions.Rewards and Costs in RelationshipsRelationship rewards include emotional...
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Speciation Rates01:07

Speciation Rates

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Overview
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Predator-Prey Interactions02:39

Predator-Prey Interactions

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Predators consume prey for energy. Predators that acquire prey and prey that avoid predation both increase their chances of survival and reproduction (i.e., fitness). Routine predator-prey interactions elicit mutual adaptations that improve predator offenses, such as claws, teeth, and speed, as well as prey defenses, including crypsis, aposematism, and mimicry. Thus, predator-prey interactions resemble an evolutionary arms race.
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Frequency-dependent Selection01:21

Frequency-dependent Selection

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When the fitness of a trait is influenced by how common it is (i.e., its frequency) relative to different traits within a population, this is referred to as frequency-dependent selection. Frequency-dependent selection may occur between species or within a single species. This type of selection can either be positive—with more common phenotypes having higher fitness—or negative, with rarer phenotypes conferring increased fitness.
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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Nov 24, 2025

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

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Coevolved mutualists experience fluctuating costs and benefits over time.

Mayra C Vidal1,2, Kari A Segraves1

  • 1Department of Biology, Syracuse University, Syracuse, New York, 13244.

Evolution; International Journal of Organic Evolution
|December 28, 2020
PubMed
Summary

Yeast mutualists rapidly coevolved, showing nonlinear changes in costs and benefits. This reciprocal exploitation highlights the complex dynamics within mutualistic interactions.

Keywords:
Coevolutionexperimental evolutionmicrobeobligate mutualism

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Area of Science:

  • Evolutionary Biology
  • Microbial Ecology

Background:

  • Mutualisms are crucial ecological interactions.
  • Understanding the coevolutionary dynamics of mutualisms is key to their persistence.
  • Costs and benefits shape the evolution of mutualistic relationships.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate how mutualist species coevolve and adapt within an obligate mutualism.
  • To examine the role of resource use efficiency and commodity production in mutualist evolution.
  • To determine if yeast mutualists exhibit coevolutionary patterns.

Main Methods:

  • An experimental evolution approach using two yeast species over 15 weeks (approx. 150 generations).
  • Time-shift assays were employed to detect coevolution.
  • Measurement of mutualistic traits: resource use efficiency and commodity production.

Main Results:

  • Yeast mutualists demonstrated rapid coevolution.
  • Changes in costs and benefits were nonlinear and asynchronous.
  • Initial adaptations in one partner led to reciprocal changes in the other, resembling antagonistic patterns.

Conclusions:

  • Mutualisms can evolve rapidly and nonlinearly.
  • Coevolution in mutualisms can resemble antagonistic evolutionary patterns.
  • Mutualistic interactions may be viewed as reciprocal exploitation.