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Rapid radiation in bacteria leads to a division of labour

Author

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  • Wook Kim

    (University of Oxford
    Oxford Centre for Integrative Systems Biology, University of Oxford
    FAS Center for Systems Biology, University of Harvard)

  • Stuart B. Levy

    (Center for Adaptation Genetics and Drug Resistance, Tufts University School of Medicine)

  • Kevin R. Foster

    (University of Oxford
    Oxford Centre for Integrative Systems Biology, University of Oxford
    FAS Center for Systems Biology, University of Harvard)

Abstract

The division of labour is a central feature of the most sophisticated biological systems, including genomes, multicellular organisms and societies, which took millions of years to evolve. Here we show that a well-organized and robust division of labour can evolve in a matter of days. Mutants emerge within bacterial colonies and work with the parent strain to gain new territory. The two strains self-organize in space: one provides a wetting polymer at the colony edge, whereas the other sits behind and pushes them both along. The emergence of the interaction is repeatable, bidirectional and only requires a single mutation to alter production of the intracellular messenger, cyclic-di-GMP. Our work demonstrates the power of the division of labour to rapidly solve biological problems without the need for long-term evolution or derived sociality. We predict that the division of labour will evolve frequently in microbial populations, where rapid genetic diversification is common.

Suggested Citation

  • Wook Kim & Stuart B. Levy & Kevin R. Foster, 2016. "Rapid radiation in bacteria leads to a division of labour," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 7(1), pages 1-10, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:7:y:2016:i:1:d:10.1038_ncomms10508
    DOI: 10.1038/ncomms10508
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