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Priority effects inhibit the repeated evolution of phototrophy
Anthony J Burnetti1, James T Stroud1, William C Ratcliff1
1School of Biological Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA USA.
Npj Complexity
|February 5, 2026
Summary
Phototrophy, the ability to convert light into energy, evolved twice and then stopped. This is because existing forms of phototrophy saturate the bioenergetic landscape, preventing new light-harvesting systems from emerging.
Area of Science:
- Evolutionary Biology
- Biophysics
Background:
- Phototrophy is a crucial innovation for life, significantly increasing metabolic energy availability.
- Despite its importance, phototrophy has only evolved twice in Earth's history.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate why phototrophy has not evolved more than twice.
- To understand the bioenergetic and evolutionary constraints on the emergence of new phototrophic systems.
Main Methods:
- Physiological modeling of light-harvesting systems.
- Analysis of evolutionary priority effects and competitive exclusion.
Main Results:
- Two known forms of phototrophy, chlorophototrophy and retinalophototrophy, saturate the bioenergetic landscape.
- These systems represent opposing solutions to biophysical trade-offs, creating an evolutionary "priority effect".
Conclusions:
- Early evolutionary innovations can saturate ecological niches, limiting future evolutionary pathways.
- The saturation of the bioenergetic landscape by existing phototrophic systems explains why new forms have not arisen.
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