Rapid adaptation accelerates competitive suppression in a parasite community

Area of Science:

• Ecology
• Evolutionary Biology
• Microbiology

Background:

• Environmental stress alters community composition and can drive species extinction.
• Parasites are vulnerable to environmental stress due to sensitive infection processes and host dependency.
• Evolutionary rescue via rapid adaptation may allow parasite persistence but its community-level impacts are unknown.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the eco-evolutionary consequences of thermal stress on a simple parasite community.
• To understand how rapid adaptation influences parasite persistence and competitive dynamics under stress.

Main Methods:

• Propagating two bacteriophages (φ14-1 and φLUZ19) of Pseudomonas aeruginosa under control (37°C) and high (42°C) temperatures.
• Analyzing phage adaptation through genetic mutations in genes related to host attachment and replication.
• Assessing competitive interactions and community structure changes in monoculture and co-culture.

Main Results:

• Rapid thermal adaptation of bacteriophage φ14-1 enabled its persistence under high temperature stress.
• Adapted φ14-1 outcompeted and replaced φLUZ19 in co-culture at high temperatures.
• Adaptation involved mutations in attachment and replication genes; φ14-1 suppressed φLUZ19 evolution.

Conclusions:

• Rapid adaptation to environmental stress can prevent parasite extinction but destabilize communities.
• This can lead to increased species loss, emphasizing the need for eco-evolutionary perspectives on climate change.
• Understanding these dynamics is crucial for predicting community responses to global climate change.