Cited by 160Evolution and Genetic DynamicsBacterial Genetics and BiotechnologyMicrobial Community Ecology and Physiology

Culture History and Population Heterogeneity as Determinants of Bacterial Adaptation: the Adaptomics of a Single Environmental Transition

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Ryall, Ben, Eydallin, Gustavo, Ferenci, Thomas·2012·Microbiology and Molecular Biology Reviews

Abstract

SUMMARY: Diversity in adaptive responses is common within species and populations, especially when the heterogeneity of the frequently large populations found in environments is considered. By focusing on events in a single clonal population undergoing a single transition, we discuss how environmental cues and changes in growth rate initiate a multiplicity of adaptive pathways. Adaptation is a comprehensive process, and stochastic, regulatory, epigenetic, and mutational changes can contribute to fitness and overlap in timing and frequency. We identify culture history as a major determinant of both regulatory adaptations and microevolutionary change. Population history before a transition determines heterogeneities due to errors in translation, stochastic differences in regulation, the presence of aged, damaged, cheating, or dormant cells, and variations in intracellular metabolite or regulator concentrations. It matters whether bacteria come from dense, slow-growing, stressed, or structured states. Genotypic adaptations are history dependent due to variations in mutation supply, contingency gene changes, phase variation, lateral gene transfer, and genome amplifications. Phenotypic adaptations underpin genotypic changes in situations such as stress-induced mutagenesis or prophage induction or in biofilms to give a continuum of adaptive possibilities. Evolutionary selection additionally provides diverse adaptive outcomes in a single transition and generally does not result in single fitter types. The totality of heterogeneities in an adapting population increases the chance that at least some individuals meet immediate or future challenges. However, heterogeneity complicates the adaptomics of single transitions, and we propose that subpopulations will need to be integrated into future population biology and systems biology predictions of bacterial behavior.

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Crossref · 10.1128/mmbr.05028-11

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  • Complex microbial consortia perform more complex activities (versatility) and tolerate more variation in the environment (robustness) as compared to pure cultures.

    “In general, it can be stated that complex microbial consortia perform more complex activities (versatility) and tolerate more variation in the environment (robustness) as compared to pure cultures [9,13,14,15].”
  • Adaptive laboratory evolution was already performed about a hundred years ago by William Dallinger and during the middle of the last century.

    “Hence, adaptive laboratory evolution was already performed about a hundred years ago by William Dallinger [22] and during the middle of the last century [24,25];”

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Authors
Ryall, B., Eydallin, G., & Ferenci, T.
Affiliations
The University of Sydney (AU)
Venue
Microbiology and Molecular Biology Reviews
Published
2012-09
Volume
76
Issue
3
Pages
597-625
ISSN
  • 1092-2172 (ISSN-L)
  • 1098-5557
OpenAlex
W2129172649
Cited by
160
References
385
Citations by year
2026: 10 · 2025: 11 · 2024: 15 · 2023: 4 · 2022: 6 · 2021: 15 · 2020: 14 · 2019: 12 · 2018: 11 · 2017: 11 · 2016: 11 · 2015: 14 · 2014: 16 · 2013: 10
FWCI
1.56
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Microbiology and Molecular Biology Reviews (publishedVersion)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
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 adaptation, culture history, population heterogeneity, environmental transition, clonal populations, microevolution, epigenetic adaptation, stress-induced mutagenesis, phase variation, horizontal gene transfer, genome amplification, prophage induction, biofilm, bacterial dormancy, population structure (demography), evolutionary contingency
MeSH terms
Adaptation, Physiological, Bacteria, Culture Media, Genotype, Humans, Phenotype, Genetic Variation, Gene Expression Regulation, Bacterial, Bacterial Physiological Phenomena

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