Phenotypic plasticity and evolution of thermal tolerance in bacteria from temperate and hot spring environments.

ABSTRACT: Phenotypic plasticity allows individuals to respond to the selective forces of a new environment, followed by adaptive evolution. We do not know to what extent phenotypic plasticity allows thermal tolerance evolution in bacteria at the border of their physiological limits. We analyzed growth and reaction norms to temperature of strains of two bacterial lineages, Bacillus cereus sensu lato and Bacillus subtilis sensu lato, that evolved in two contrasting environments, a temperate lagoon (T) and a hot spring (H). Our results showed that despite the co-occurrence of members of both lineages in the two contrasting environments, norms of reactions to temperature exhibited a similar pattern only in strains within the lineages, suggesting fixed phenotypic plasticity. Additionally, s

SUBMITTER: Hurtado-Bautista E 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8312496 | biostudies-literature | 2021

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature