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Multilevel selection in multitype populations
Amanda de Azevedo-Lopes1, Arne Traulsen1
1Department of Theoretical Biology, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Biology, August-Thienemann Str. 2, 24306 Plön, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany.
PNAS Nexus
|June 5, 2026
Summary
Multilevel selection shapes complex interactions among many microbial types in host-associated microbiomes. This process can promote microbial diversity and beneficial host-microbe interactions, impacting microbiome evolution.
Area of Science:
- Microbial Ecology
- Evolutionary Biology
- Theoretical Ecology
Background:
- Multilevel selection is crucial for understanding host-associated microbiomes.
- Previous studies focused on interactions between only two microbial types.
- Microbiomes involve complex interactions among numerous microbial types.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how multilevel selection influences interaction dynamics among multiple microbial types.
- To determine if multilevel selection promotes microbial diversity within populations.
- To assess if multilevel selection favors beneficial host-microbe and microbe-microbe interactions.
Main Methods:
- Simulated a multitype microbial population structured into groups.
- Utilized an evolutionary game within groups to determine individual fitness.
- Classified pairwise interactions based on dynamical outcomes: dominance, coexistence, or bistability.
Main Results:
- Multilevel selection significantly reshapes interaction dynamics, with outcomes dependent on population structure.
- The study revealed complex patterns of interaction emerging from multilevel selection.
- Specific population structures lead to distinct interaction dynamics among microbial types.
Conclusions:
- Multilevel selection plays a critical role in shaping the complexity of microbiome interactions.
- This selection mechanism can drive the evolution of microbial diversity and cooperation within microbiomes.
- Understanding multilevel selection is key to predicting microbiome evolution and function.
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