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Evolution of cross-feeding in microbial populations.
Journal article

Evolution of cross-feeding in microbial populations.

  • Pfeiffer T Ecology and Evolution, Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule Zurich, Switzerland. pfeiffer@eco.umnw.ethz.ch
  • Bonhoeffer S
  • 2004-07-22
Published in:
  • The American naturalist. - 2004
Adaptation, Physiological
Adenosine Triphosphate
Bacteria
Bacterial Physiological Phenomena
Biological Evolution
Culture Media
Energy Metabolism
Enzymes
Population Dynamics
English Although limited by a single resource, microbial populations that grow for long periods in continuous culture (chemostat) frequently evolve stable polymorphisms. These polymorphisms may be maintained by cross-feeding, where one strain partially degrades the primary energy resource and excretes an intermediate that is used as an energy resource by a second strain. It is unclear what selective advantage cross-feeding strains have over a single competitor that completely degrades the primary resource. Here we show that cross-feeding may evolve in microbial populations as a consequence of the following optimization principles: the rate of ATP production is maximized, the concentration of enzymes of the pathway is minimized, and the concentration of intermediates of the pathway is minimized.
Language
  • English
Open access status
closed
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Persistent URL
https://sonar.ch/global/documents/47156
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