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Adaptation and Exaptation: From Small Molecules to Feathers.

Moran Frenkel-Pinter^1,2,3, Anton S Petrov^1,2,4, Kavita Matange^1,4

¹NASA Center for the Origins of Life, Atlanta, GA, 30332-0400, USA.

Journal of Molecular Evolution

|March 5, 2022

Summary

Evolutionary principles of adaptation and exaptation apply universally from molecules to organisms. This framework helps understand life's chemical origins without assuming current function dictated early evolution.

Keywords:

Chemical origins of life Evolution Exaptation Metabolites Recursion

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Area of Science:

Evolutionary biology
Biochemistry
Astrobiology

Background:

Adaptation and exaptation are key evolutionary mechanisms observed at organismal and molecular levels.
Existing biological systems, like proteins and RNAs, demonstrate adaptation and exaptation.
The concept of exaptation, where a trait evolves for one function and is later co-opted for another, is crucial for historical interpretation.

Purpose of the Study:

To propose that adaptation and exaptation are universal, synergistic, and recursive processes applicable to small molecules.
To re-examine the origins of life by applying evolutionary principles to prebiotic chemistry.
To challenge the conflation of extant utility with the historical basis of life's origins.

Main Methods:

Conceptual framework integrating adaptation and exaptation across biological scales.
Analysis of adenosine as a case study for molecular adaptation and exaptation.
Application of evolutionary theory to models of the origin of life.

Main Results:

Adenosine and its variants exemplify adaptation (e.g., in DNA, RNA) and exaptation for diverse functions (energy, metabolism, signaling).
Evolutionary theory, including exaptation, provides a robust framework for understanding life's chemical origins.
Exaptation necessitates distinguishing between a molecule's historical role and its current function.

Conclusions:

Evolutionary principles of adaptation and exaptation are universal, applying from small molecules to complex organisms.
These processes were simultaneous and crucial in the origin and evolution of life.
Robust origin of life models require considering historical context rather than solely extant functions.