Patchy distribution of flexible genetic elements in bacterial populations mediates robustness to environmental uncertainty: Population-level robustness through genome flexibility

Heuer, Holger; Abdo, Zaid; Smalla, Kornelia

doi:10.1111/j.1574-6941.2008.00539.x

Cited by 64Evolution and Genetic DynamicsBacterial Genetics and BiotechnologyMicrobial Community Ecology and Physiology

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Patchy distribution of flexible genetic elements in bacterial populations mediates robustness to environmental uncertainty: Population-level robustness through genome flexibility

Heuer, Holger, Abdo, Zaid, Smalla, Kornelia·2008·FEMS Microbiology Ecology

DOI 10.1111/j.1574-6941.2008.00539.x

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Abstract

The generation and maintenance of genetic variation seems to be a general ecological strategy of bacterial populations. Thereby they gain robustness to irregular environmental change, which is primarily the result of the dynamic evolution of biotic interactions. A benefit of maintaining population heterogeneity is that only a fraction of the population has to bear the cost of not (yet) beneficial deviation. On evolutionary time frames, an added value of the underlying mechanisms is evolvability, i.e. the heritable ability of an evolutionary lineage to generate and maintain genetic variants that are potentially adaptive in the course of evolution. Horizontal gene transfer is an important mechanism that can lead to differences between individuals within bacterial populations. Broad host-range plasmids foster this heterogeneity because they are typically present in only a fraction of the population and provide individual cells with genetic modules newly acquired from other populations or species. We postulate that the benefit of robustness on population level could balance the cost of transfer and replication functions that plasmids impose on their hosts. Consequently, mechanisms that make a subpopulation conducive to specific conjugative plasmids may have evolved, which could explain the persistence of even cryptic plasmids that do not encode any traits.

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Population heterogeneity is thought to be linked with resilience against environmental uncertainty.
“Population heterogeneity is thought to be linked with resilience against environmental uncertainty [25], and mobile genetic elements are the primary sources of heterogeneity [26].”
From Microbiota of Cheese Ecosystems: A Perspective on Cheesemaking (2025) · cites this paper as [25]

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Authors: Heuer, H., Abdo, Z., & Smalla, K.
Affiliations: Julius Kühn-Institut (DE)
University of Idaho (US)
Corresponding author: Heuer, Holger
ORCID: Heuer, Holger
Abdo, Zaid
Smalla, Kornelia
Venue: FEMS Microbiology Ecology
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Published: 2008-09
Volume: 65
Issue: 3
Pages: 361-371
ISSN: 0168-6496 (ISSN-L)
1574-6941
DOI: 10.1111/j.1574-6941.2008.00539.x
OpenAlex: W2110993004
Cited by: 64
References: 96
Citations by year: 2026: 2 · 2025: 2 · 2024: 3 · 2023: 5 · 2022: 1 · 2021: 5 · 2020: 6 · 2019: 4 · 2017: 4 · 2016: 2 · 2015: 3 · 2014: 5 · 2013: 5 · 2012: 6
FWCI: 0.31
Type: journal article
Language: en
Open access: closed
Locations: FEMS Microbiology Ecology (publishedVersion)
PubMed (publishedVersion)
OpenAgrar (submittedVersion)
Funders: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft
Topics: Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Genetics › Evolution and Genetic Dynamics
Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Genetics › Bacterial Genetics and Biotechnology
Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Ecology › Microbial Community Ecology and Physiology
Keywords: bacterial population heterogeneity, horizontal gene transfer, conjugative plasmids, broad-host-range plasmids, genetic variation, evolvability, cryptic plasmid
MeSH terms: Adaptation, Biological, Bacteria, Conjugation, Genetic, Environment, Genetics, Population, Plasmids, Genetic Variation, Evolution, Molecular, Gene Transfer, Horizontal

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Patchy distribution of flexible genetic elements in bacterial populations mediates robustness to environmental uncertainty: Population-level robustness through genome flexibility

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