Rapid evolution allows coexistence of highly divergent lineages within the same niche
Rapid evolution allows coexistence of highly divergent lineages within the same niche
Marine microbial communities are extremely complex and diverse. The number of locally coexisting species often vastly exceeds the number of identifiable niches, and taxonomic composition often appears decoupled from local environmental conditions. This is contrary to the view that environmental conditions should select for a few locally well-adapted species. Here we use an individual-based eco-evolutionary model to show that virtually unlimited taxonomic diversity can be supported in highly evolving assemblages, even in the absence of niche separation. With a steady stream of heritable changes to phenotype, competitive exclusion may be weakened, allowing sustained coexistence of nearly neutral phenotypes with highly divergent lineages. This behaviour is robust even to abrupt environmental perturbations that might be expected to cause strong selection pressure and an associated loss of diversity. We, therefore, suggest that rapid evolution and individual-level variability are key drivers of species coexistence and maintenance of microbial biodiversity.
biodiversity, coexistence, convergent evolution, functional redundancy, microbial, neutral
1839-1853
Ward, Ben
9063af30-e344-4626-9470-8db7c1543d05
Collins, Sinead
1bcf551c-0f13-47c0-98c6-dc6f5c31d7b9
August 2022
Ward, Ben
9063af30-e344-4626-9470-8db7c1543d05
Collins, Sinead
1bcf551c-0f13-47c0-98c6-dc6f5c31d7b9
Ward, Ben and Collins, Sinead
(2022)
Rapid evolution allows coexistence of highly divergent lineages within the same niche.
Ecology Letters, 25 (8), .
(doi:10.1111/ele.14061).
Abstract
Marine microbial communities are extremely complex and diverse. The number of locally coexisting species often vastly exceeds the number of identifiable niches, and taxonomic composition often appears decoupled from local environmental conditions. This is contrary to the view that environmental conditions should select for a few locally well-adapted species. Here we use an individual-based eco-evolutionary model to show that virtually unlimited taxonomic diversity can be supported in highly evolving assemblages, even in the absence of niche separation. With a steady stream of heritable changes to phenotype, competitive exclusion may be weakened, allowing sustained coexistence of nearly neutral phenotypes with highly divergent lineages. This behaviour is robust even to abrupt environmental perturbations that might be expected to cause strong selection pressure and an associated loss of diversity. We, therefore, suggest that rapid evolution and individual-level variability are key drivers of species coexistence and maintenance of microbial biodiversity.
Text
Ecology Letters - 2022 - Ward - Rapid evolution allows coexistence of highly divergent lineages within the same niche
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Accepted/In Press date: 30 March 2022
Published date: August 2022
Additional Information:
Funding Information:
We thank Nadav Kashtan, Boris Sauterey, Daniele Iudicone and two anonymous reviewers for helpful comments on earlier drafts of this manuscript. B.A.W. was funded by a Royal Society University Research Fellowship.
Funding Information:
We thank Nadav Kashtan, Boris Sauterey, Daniele Iudicone and two anonymous reviewers for helpful comments on earlier drafts of this manuscript. B.A.W. was funded by a Royal Society University Research Fellowship.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2022 The Authors. Ecology Letters published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
Keywords:
biodiversity, coexistence, convergent evolution, functional redundancy, microbial, neutral
Identifiers
Local EPrints ID: 467955
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/467955
ISSN: 1461-023X
PURE UUID: 51d06a0a-8ee3-468b-b748-c05f5d7690a6
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Date deposited: 26 Jul 2022 17:00
Last modified: 16 Mar 2024 18:13
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Author:
Sinead Collins
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