The evolution of mechanisms to produce phenotypic heterogeneity in microorganisms

• DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-27902-4
• Publication Date: 2022-01-25T11:03:10Z
• Authors: Guy Alexander Cooper; Ming Liu; Jorge Peña; Stuart Andrew West
• Keywords: 570; 0303 health sciences; Models, Genetic; Science; Q; Cyanobacteria; Adaptation, Physiological; Biological Evolution; Article; 03 medical and health sciences; Phenotype; Biological Variation, Population; Microbial Interactions; Computer Simulation; Genetic Fitness; Selection, Genetic; B- ECONOMIE ET FINANCE

Abstract In bacteria and other microorganisms, the cells within a population often show extreme phenotypic variation. Different species use different mechanisms to determine how distinct phenotypes are allocated between individuals, including coordinated, random, genetic determination. However, it is not clear if this diversity in adaptive—arising because favoured environments—or merely result of non-adaptive artifacts evolution. We theoretical models analyse relative advantages two dominant divide labour reproductives helpers microorganisms. that coordinated specialisation more likely evolve over random well-mixed groups when: (i) social small; (ii) helping “essential”; (iii) there low metabolic cost coordination. find analogous results when we allow for spatial structure with detailed model cellular filaments. More generally, work shows produce heterogeneity could have arisen as adaptations environments.