Dynamical trade-offs arise from antagonistic coevolution and decrease intraspecific diversity

Nat Commun. 2017 Dec 12;8(1):2059. doi: 10.1038/s41467-017-01957-8.

Abstract

Trade-offs play an important role in evolution. Without trade-offs, evolution would maximize fitness of all traits leading to a "master of all traits". The shape of trade-offs has been shown to determine evolutionary trajectories and is often assumed to be static and independent of the actual evolutionary process. Here we propose that coevolution leads to a dynamical trade-off. We test this hypothesis in a microbial predator-prey system and show that the bacterial growth-defense trade-off changes from concave to convex, i.e., defense is effective and cheap initially, but gets costly when predators coevolve. We further explore the impact of such dynamical trade-offs by a novel mathematical model incorporating de novo mutations for both species. Predator and prey populations diversify rapidly leading to higher prey diversity when the trade-off is concave (cheap). Coevolution results in more convex (costly) trade-offs and lower prey diversity compared to the scenario where only the prey evolves.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adaptation, Physiological / genetics*
  • Animals
  • Bacteria
  • Biological Coevolution / genetics*
  • Models, Biological*
  • Models, Theoretical
  • Mutation
  • Mutation Rate
  • Phenotype
  • Predatory Behavior / physiology
  • Pseudomonas fluorescens / physiology*
  • Tetrahymena thermophila / physiology*