Environment determines evolutionary trajectory in a constrained phenotypic space.

ABSTRACT: Constraints on phenotypic variation limit the capacity of organisms to adapt to the multiple selection pressures encountered in natural environments. To better understand evolutionary dynamics in this context, we select Escherichia coli for faster migration through a porous environment, a process which depends on both motility and growth. We find that a trade-off between swimming speed and growth rate constrains the evolution of faster migration. Evolving faster migration in rich medium results in slow growth and fast swimming, while evolution in minimal medium results in fast growth and slow swimming. In each condition parallel genomic evolution drives adaptation through different mutations. We show that the trade-off is mediated by antagonistic pleiotropy through mutations that affect ne

SUBMITTER: Fraebel DT 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5441876 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature