Many prokaryote species are known to have fluid genomes, with different strains varying markedly in accessory gene content through the combined action of loss, gain via lateral transfer, as well duplication. However, evolutionary forces determining genome fluidity not yet understood. We here for first time systematically analyse degree which this distinctive genomic feature differs between bacterial species. find that is positively correlated synonymous nucleotide diversity core genome, a...

Summary 1. Wind pollination is thought to have evolved in response selection for mechanisms promote success, when animal pollinators become scarce or unreliable. We might thus expect wind‐pollinated plants be less prone pollen limitation than their insect‐pollinated counterparts. Yet, if loads on stigmas of species decline with distance from donors, seed set nevertheless pollen‐limited populations that cannot self‐fertilize progeny, but not self‐compatible hermaphroditic populations. 2....

Model microbial communities are regularly used to test ecological and evolutionary theory as they easy manipulate have fast generation times, allowing for large-scale, high-throughput experiments. A key assumption most model is that stably coexist, but this rarely tested experimentally. Here we report the (dis)assembly of a five-species community from metacommunity soil microbes can be future Using reciprocal invasion-from-rare experiments show all species coexist demonstrate stable long...

Male-biased sex allocation commonly occurs in wind-pollinated hermaphroditic plants, and is often positively associated with size, notably terms of height. Currently, it not well established whether a corresponding pattern holds for dioecious plants: do males species exhibit greater reproductive than females? Here, sexual dimorphism investigated life history trade-offs population the ruderal herb Mercurialis annua.

Abstract Ecological theory predicts interactions between species to become more positive under abiotic stress, while competition should prevail in benign environments. However, experimental tests of this stress gradient hypothesis natural microbial communities are lacking. We test by measuring 10 different members a bacterial community inhabiting potting compost the presence or absence toxic copper stress. found that caused significant net changes interaction signs, shifting balance towards...

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) genes are often carried on broad host range plasmids, and the spread of AMR within microbial communities will therefore depend structure bacteria–plasmid networks. Empirical theoretical studies ecological interaction networks suggest that network differs between predominantly mutualistic versus antagonistic, with former showing more generalized interactions (i.e., species interact many others to a similar extent). This suggests networks—where antibiotics...

Quantifying intraspecific demographic variation provides a powerful tool for exploring the diversity and evolution of life histories. We investigate how habitat‐specific production multiple offspring types affect population dynamics delayed reproduction in clonal perennial herb with monocarpic ramets (white hellebore). In this species, flowering produce both seeds asexual offspring. Data on ramet demography are used to parameterize integral projection models, which allow effects reproductive...

Host-parasite interactions are often characterized by large fluctuations in host population size, and we investigated how such bottlenecks affected coevolution between a bacterium virus. Previous theory suggests that should provide parasites with an evolutionary advantage, but instead found phages were rapidly driven to extinction when coevolving hosts exposed genetic bottlenecks. This was caused the stochastic loss of sensitive bacteria, which required for phage persistence infectivity...

Competition plays a crucial role in determining adaptation of species, yet we know little as to how is affected by the strength competition. On one hand, strong competition typically results population size reductions, which can hamper owing shortage beneficial mutations; on other specificity competitors may offset negative evolutionary consequences such effects. Here, investigate affects fitness bacterium Pseudomonas fluorescens . Our demonstrate that constrains focal populations, be...

Abstract Abiotic environmental heterogeneity can promote the evolution of diverse resource specialists, which in turn may increase degree host–parasite specialization. We coevolved Pseudomonas fluorescens and lytic phage ϕ 2 spatially structured populations, each consisting two interconnected subpopulations evolving same or different nutrient media (homogeneous heterogeneous environments, respectively). Counter to normal expectation, specialization was significantly lower compared with...

Climate change, changing farming practices, social and demographic changes rising levels of antibiotic resistance are likely to lead future increases in opportunistic bacterial infections that more difficult treat. Uncovering the prevalence identity pathogenic bacteria environment is key assessing transmission risks. We describe first use Wax moth larva Galleria mellonella, a well-established model for mammalian innate immune system, selectively enrich characterize pathogens from coastal...

Disturbances can play a major role in biological invasions: by destroying biomass, they alter habitat and resource abundances. Previous field studies suggest that disturbance-mediated invader success is consequence of influxes, but the importance other potential covarying causes, notably opening up habitats, have yet to be directly tested. Using experimental populations bacterium Pseudomonas fluorescens , we determined relative plus any interaction between them, for two ecologically distinct...

ABSTRACT Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) has emerged as one of the most pressing threats to public health. AMR evolution occurs in clinic but also environment, where antibiotics and heavy metals can select co-select for AMR. While selective potential both is increasingly well-characterized, experimental studies exploring their combined effects on are rare. It previously been demonstrated that fluoroquinolone such ciprofloxacin chelate metal ions. To investigate how affected by presence...

Ecological dependencies – where organisms rely on other for survival are a ubiquitous feature of life earth. Multicellular hosts symbionts to provide essential vitamins and amino acids. Legume plants similarly nitrogen-fixing rhizobia convert atmospheric nitrogen ammonia. In some cases, can arise via loss-of-function mutations that allow one partner benefit from the actions another. It is common in microbiology label ecological between species as cooperation making it necessary invoke...

Evolution can occur over ecological timescales, suggesting a potentially important role for rapid evolution in shaping community trait distributions. However, evidence of concordant eco-evolutionary dynamics often comes from vitro studies highly simplified communities, and measures evolutionary are rarely directly comparable. Here, we quantified how species sorting simultaneously shape distributions by tracking within- between-species changes key complex bacterial community. We focused on...

Many organisms-notably microbes-are embedded within complex communities where cooperative behaviors in the form of excreted public goods can benefit other species. Under such circumstances, intraspecific interactions are likely to be less important driving evolution cooperation. We first illustrate this idea with a simple theoretical model, showing that relatedness-the extent which individuals same alleles interact each other-has reduced impact on cooperation when shared between test...

In an era of unprecedented environmental change, there have been increasing ecological and global public health concerns associated with exposure to anthropogenic pollutants. While is a pressing need remediate polluted ecosystems, human intervention might unwittingly oppose selection for natural detoxification, which primarily carried out by microbes. We test this possibility in the context ubiquitous chemical remediation strategy aimed at targeting metal pollution: addition lime-containing...

Abstract Can seed characters be used for predicting the presence of a persistent bank in field? We address this question using ten cultivars crop Brassica napus , feral B. accessions originating from seeds collected field and nine closely related ruderal species rapa . When buried year field, wild displayed, as expected, much higher survival fractions than those domesticated at two different locations The Netherlands. Compared to napus, produces relatively small with high levels aliphatic...

Iron is essential for almost all bacterial pathogens and consequently it actively withheld by their hosts. However, the production of extracellular siderophores enables iron sequestration pathogens, increasing virulence. Another function detoxification non-ferrous metals. Here, we experimentally link virulence roles testing whether opportunistic pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa displays greater after exposure to copper. To do this, incubated P. under different environmentally relevant copper...

• Pollen of the crop oilseed rape (Brassica napus, AACC) can cross-fertilize ovules Brassica rapa (AA), which leads to an influx unpaired C-chromosomes into wild B. populations. The presence such extra chromosomes is thought be indicator introgression. Backcrosses and F1 hybrids were found in Danish populations but, surprisingly, only UK Netherlands. Here, a model tests how level selection biased vs unbiased transmission affect population frequency C-chromosomes. In biased-transmission...