Changes in Cell Size and Shape during 50,000 Generations of Experimental Evolution with Escherichia coli
Nkrumah A. Grant, Ali Abdel Magid, Joshua Franklin, Y. Dufour, Richard E. Lenski
Abstract
to investigate the relation between cell size, shape, and fitness. Using this "frozen fossil record," we show that all 12 populations evolved larger cells concomitant with increased fitness, with substantial heterogeneity in cell size and shape across the replicate lines. Our work demonstrates that cell morphology can readily evolve and diversify, even among populations living in identical environments.
Topics & Concepts
BiologyPopulationReplicateEvolutionary biologyExperimental evolutionEscherichia coliLineage (genetic)Exponential growthMorphology (biology)GeneticsGeneDemographyMathematical analysisSociologyMathematicsStatisticsEvolution and Genetic DynamicsEvolutionary Game Theory and CooperationGene Regulatory Network Analysis