Search results for "Experimental evolution"
showing 7 items of 87 documents
Spatial variation in the evolutionary potential and constraints of basal metabolic rate and body mass in a wild bird
2023
An organism's energy budget is strongly related to resource consumption, performance, and fitness. Hence, understanding the evolution of key energetic traits, such as basal metabolic rate (BMR), in natural populations is central for understanding life-history evolution and ecological processes. Here we used quantitative genetic analyses to study evolutionary potential of BMR in two insular populations of the house sparrow (Passer domesticus). We obtained measurements of BMR and body mass (Mb) from 911 house sparrows on the islands of Leka and Vega along the coast of Norway. These two populations were the source populations for translocations to create an additional third, admixed ‘common ga…
Adaptation to fluctuations in temperature by nine species of bacteria.
2017
Abstract Rapid environmental fluctuations are ubiquitous in the wild, yet majority of experimental studies mostly consider effects of slow fluctuations on organism. To test the evolutionary consequences of fast fluctuations, we conducted nine independent experimental evolution experiments with bacteria. Experimental conditions were same for all species, and we allowed them to evolve either in fluctuating temperature alternating rapidly between 20°C and 40°C or at constant 30°C temperature. After experimental evolution, we tested the performance of the clones in both rapid fluctuation and in constant environments (20°C, 30°C and 40°C). Results from experiments on these nine species were comb…
Data from: Sex-specific effects of natural and sexual selection on the evolution of life span and ageing in Drosophila simulans
2015
1. Variation in the strength of age-dependent natural selection shapes differences in ageing rates across species and populations. Likewise, sexual selection can promote divergent patterns of senescence across the sexes. However, the effects of these processes on the evolution of ageing have largely been considered independently, and interactions between them are poorly understood. 2. We use experimental evolution to investigate how natural and sexual selection affect life span and ageing in Drosophila simulans. 3. Replicate populations were evolved under lifetime monogamy (relaxed sexual selection) or lifetime polyandry (elevated sexual selection) and at one of two temperatures, 25 °C (rel…
The evolution of temperature tolerance and invasiveness in a fluctuating thermal environment
2016
The consequences of the climate change on species are still uncertain, despite of intensive research. Currently, rising temperature is not the only concern, since the climate change scenarios also predict increases in the amount of disturbances, such as storms, floods, and thermal fluctuations. Disturbances have also been shown to affect species’ evolution, for example by selecting for traits that are advantageous in fluctuating environments but are also facilitating invasiveness. In this thesis, I study the consequences of evolving in a fluctuating thermal environment by utilizing bacterial microcosms. First I tested the effects of fluctuating vs. constant temperature on the evolution of t…
Experimental Evolution Reveals a Genetic Basis for Membrane-Associated Virus Release
2021
Many animal viruses replicate and are released from cells in close association to membranes. However, whether this is a passive process or is controlled by the virus remains poorly understood. Importantly, the genetic basis and evolvability of membrane-associated viral shedding have not been investigated. To address this, we performed a directed evolution experiment using coxsackievirus B3, a model enterovirus, in which we repeatedly selected the free-virion or the fast-sedimenting membrane-associated viral subpopulations. The virus responded to this selection regime by reproducibly fixing a series of mutations that altered the extent of membrane-associated viral shedding, as revealed by fu…
Experimental evolution of genome architecture and complexity in an RNA virus
2016
Introducción La evolución de la arquitectura del genoma – las dimensiones y la organización del material hereditario de un organismo – es poco conocida. Existe una variación asombrosa en la arquitectura genómica entre diferentes organismos. Los virus tienden a tener genomas pequeños, con un mínimo de secuencias intergénicas y típicamente con genes solapantes, los cuales se cree son una forma de compresión del genoma que permite al virus incrementar su número de proteínas sin aumentar su tamaño. Los procariotas tienen genomas compactos, pero con secuencias intergénicas más largas que los virus, y los genes con solapamientos largos son escasos. Los eucariotas presentan una amplia gama de tama…
Etude de l'évolution du potentiel génétique de populations bactériennes dégradant l'atrazine
2011
Atrazine, one of the most used herbicide to control the development of weeds in crop, has led to the contamination of the environment. Repeated exposure to this herbicide resulted in the emergence of microbial populations able to degrade atrazine and to use it as a nitrogen source for its growth. These microbial populations are responsible for accelerated biodegradation of atrazine (BDA), a key ecosystemic service diminishing the persistence of this herbicide in the environment. The aim of this PhD work was to study genetic and physiological mechanisms responsible for functioning and improving of this ecosystemic service. We applied an experimental approach starting from genes to communitie…