Coexisting ecotypes in long-term evolution emerged from interacting trade-offs.

ABSTRACT: Evolution of complex communities of coexisting microbes remains poorly understood. The long-term evolution experiment on Escherichia coli (LTEE) revealed the spontaneous emergence of stable coexistence of multiple ecotypes, which persisted for more than 14,000 generations of continuous evolution. Here, using a combination of experiments and computer simulations, we show that the emergence and persistence of this phenomenon can be explained by the combination of two interacting trade-offs, rooted in biochemical constraints: First, faster growth is enabled by higher fermentation and obligate acetate excretion. Second, faster growth results in longer lag times when utilizing acetate after glucose is depleted. This combination creates an ecological niche for a slower-growing ecotype, specializ

SUBMITTER: Mukherjee A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10293278 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature