A passive mutualistic interaction promotes the evolution of spatial structure within microbial populations
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Date
2017-04-24
Publication Type
Journal Article
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yes
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Abstract
Background
While mutualistic interactions between different genotypes are pervasive in nature, their evolutionary origin is not clear. The dilemma is that, for mutualistic interactions to emerge and persist, an investment into the partner genotype must pay off: individuals of a first genotype that invest resources to promote the growth of a second genotype must receive a benefit that is not equally accessible to individuals that do not invest. One way for exclusive benefits to emerge is through spatial structure (i.e., physical barriers to the movement of individuals and resources).
Results
Here we propose that organisms can evolve their own spatial structure based on physical attachment between individuals, and we hypothesize that attachment evolves when spatial proximity to members of another species is advantageous. We tested this hypothesis using experimental evolution with combinations of E. coli strains that depend on each other to grow. We found that attachment between cells repeatedly evolved within 8 weeks of evolution and observed that many different types of mutations potentially contributed to increased attachment.
Conclusions
We postulate a general principle by which passive beneficial interactions between organisms select for attachment, and attachment then provides spatial structure that could be conducive for the evolution of active mutualistic interactions.
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Publication status
published
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Book title
Journal / series
Volume
17
Pages / Article No.
106
Publisher
BioMed Central
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Edition / version
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Date collected
Date created
Subject
Microbial populations; Experimental evolution; Cross-feeding; Mutualism; Cell aggregation; Spatial structure
Organisational unit
03602 - Panke, Sven / Panke, Sven
03743 - Ackermann, Martin / Ackermann, Martin