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Updated: Jun 15, 2025
04:52
Following the Dynamics of Structural Variants in Experimentally Evolved Populations
Published on: February 3, 2023
934
The evolution of autonomy from two cooperative specialists in fluctuating environments
Xiaoli Chen1,2, Miaoxiao Wang3,4, Laipeng Luo1
1College of Engineering, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China.
Summary
Cooperative microbes evolved autonomy by repairing deleted genes via horizontal gene transfer (HGT). Environmental fluctuations drove this transition, allowing specialists to regain metabolic functions.
Area of Science:
- Microbial ecology
- Evolutionary biology
- Systems biology
Background:
- Organisms perform survival tasks autonomously or cooperatively.
- The evolutionary switch between autonomy and cooperation is unclear.
- Cooperative specialists may regain autonomy by repairing genes via genetic exchange.
Purpose of the Study:
- Investigate how cooperative specialists evolve autonomy.
- Determine if cooperative specialists can repair deleted genes through horizontal gene transfer (HGT).
- Identify conditions favoring the evolution of autonomy from cooperation.
Main Methods:
- Experimentally evolved a mutualistic microbial consortium of two naphthalene-degrading specialists.
- Utilized fluctuating environments (naphthalene and pyruvate) to alternate selective pressures.
- Employed mathematical modeling to quantify evolutionary dynamics.
Main Results:
- Autonomous genotypes evolved from cooperative specialists and dominated the community.
- Horizontal gene transfer (HGT) between specialists drove the evolution of autonomy.
- Fluctuating environments, alternating between naphthalene and pyruvate, were essential for this transition.
- Naphthalene favored autonomous genotypes; pyruvate promoted specialist coexistence and HGT.
Conclusions:
- Cooperative specialists can regain metabolic autonomy by repairing deleted genes through HGT.
- Environmental fluctuations are critical for facilitating the evolution of autonomy from cooperation.
- The study elucidates a mechanism for evolutionary transitions between cooperative and autonomous lifestyles.
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