The evolution of autonomy from two cooperative specialists in fluctuating environments.

ABSTRACT: From microbes to humans, organisms perform numerous tasks for their survival, including food acquisition, migration, and reproduction. A complex biological task can be performed by either an autonomous organism or by cooperation among several specialized organisms. However, it remains unclear how autonomy and cooperation evolutionarily switch. Specifically, it remains unclear whether and how cooperative specialists can repair deleted genes through direct genetic exchange, thereby regaining metabolic autonomy. Here, we address this question by experimentally evolving a mutualistic microbial consortium composed of two specialists that cooperatively degrade naphthalene. We observed that autonomous genotypes capable of performing the entire naphthalene degradation pathway evolved from two coop

SUBMITTER: Chen X 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11363282 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature