Emergence of trait variability through the lens of nitrogen assimilation in Prochlorococcus.

ABSTRACT: Intraspecific trait variability has important consequences for the function and stability of marine ecosystems. Here we examine variation in the ability to use nitrate across hundreds of Prochlorococcus genomes to better understand the modes of evolution influencing intraspecific allocation of ecologically important functions. Nitrate assimilation genes are absent in basal lineages but occur at an intermediate frequency that is randomly distributed within recently emerged clades. The distribution of nitrate assimilation genes within clades appears largely governed by vertical inheritance, gene loss, and homologous recombination. By mapping this process onto a model of Prochlorococcus' macroevolution, we propose that niche-constructing adaptive radiations and subsequent niche

SUBMITTER: Berube PM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6370341 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature