Experimental evidence that evolution by niche construction affects dissipative ecosystem dynamics

Article Article scientifique Article Experimental evidence that evolution by niche construction affects dissipative ecosystem dynamics eng 2016 author Loudon Claire Marie 794685 author Matthews Blake author Sevilgen Duygu Sevgi author Ibelings Bastiaan Willem 781963 221-234 10.1007/s10682-015-9802-7 0269-7653 http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s10682-015-9802-7 Evolution by niche construction occurs when organism-mediated modification of the environment causes an evolutionary response. Physicists have postulated that evolution in general, and evolution mediated via feedbacks between organisms and their environment in particular (i.e. evolution by niche construction), could increase the capacity of biological systems to dissipate free energy in an open thermodynamic system, and help them maintain a state far from thermodynamic equilibrium. Here, we propose using the bacterium Pseudomonas fluorescens (strain SBW25) as a model system to experimentally test theories in both evolutionary biology (e.g. niche construction) and physics (e.g. dissipative systems theory). P. fluorescens rapidly and predictably evolves multiple strategies for exploiting oxygen in unmixed culture flasks. This evolutionary dynamic is mediated by feedbacks between the modification of the oxygen gradient by P. fluorescens and the ecological and evolutionary responses of Pseudomonas to modified environmental conditions. To confirm this, we experimentally manipulated two aspects of the system that influence the strength of the feedback between P. fluorescens and oxygen gradients in the system. First, we inhibited the metabolism of the strain used to inoculate the cultures, and, second, we disturbed the formation of mats at the air–liquid interface. Overall, we found convincing experimental evidence of evolution by niche construction, and conclude that this study system is amenable to experimental investigations of both niche construction and dissipative systems theory. Non-equilibrium thermodynamics Dissipative ecosystems Evolution by niche construction Entropy Pseudomonas fluorescens SBW25 Dewey 550 41 Département F.-A. Forel des sciences de l'environnement et de l'eau 153 false 942 ISE Biodiversité 944 ISE Eau 938 ISE Pôle Sciences 757 Microbial Ecology Evolutionary ecology 30 2 7945e8e4-b8f4-4e65-9c8f-d88122e792bb Article (Published version) Restricted Loudon et al Evol Ecol 2016 Niche construction.pdf 1040994 application/pdf restrictedAccess Faculté des sciences / Section des sciences de la Terre et de l'Environnement / Département F.-A. Forel des sciences de l'environnement et de l'eau

Title	Published in	Year	Views	Downloads

Experimental evidence that evolution by niche construction affects dissipative ecosystem dynamics	Evolutionary ecology	2016	539	3
Pseudomonas fluorescens SBW25 as a dissipative system: non-equilibrium thermodynamics offers insight into key evolutionary processes		2015	948	895

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Loudon, Claire Marie