Predator coevolution and prey trait variability determine species coexistence

Abstract

Predation is one of the key ecological mechanisms allowing species coexistence and influencing biological diversity. However, ecological processes are subject to contemporary evolutionary change, and the degree to which predation affects diversity ultimately depends on the interplay between evolution and ecology. Furthermore, ecological interactions that influence species coexistence can be altered by reciprocal coevolution especially in the case of antagonistic interactions such as predation or parasitism. Here we used an experimental evolution approach to test for the role of initial trait variation in the prey population and coevolutionary history of the predator in the ecological dynamics of a two-species bacterial community predated by a ciliate. We found that initial trait variation both at the bacterial and ciliate level enhanced species coexistence, and that subsequent trait evolutionary trajectories depended on the initial genetic diversity present in the population. Our findings provide further support to the notion that the ecology-centric view of diversity maintenance must be reinvestigated in light of recent findings in the field of eco-evolutionary dynamics.

Effects of phenotypic variation on consumer coexistence and prey community structure

“…We used the JSDM framework to ask whether phylogenetic relationships and prey traits were associated with specific community responses to the different consumer arrangements. This is important as bacterial taxonomy is an important determinant for colonization success of the C. elegans intestine[39], certain bacterial taxonomic classes are associated with different stages of C. elegans growth in the wild[40], and prey trait variability affects prey coexistence under T. thermophila predation[41]. In the final JSDMs, we included traits for defense, growth rate, diversity of carbon compounds used, and biofilm formation.…”

Experimental Evolution in Plant-Microbe Systems: A Tool for Deciphering the Functioning and Evolution of Plant-Associated Microbial Communities

“…• Bacterial-prey co-evolution (Nair et al, 2019;Scheuerl et al, 2019) • Yeast mutualists co-evolution (Vidal and Segraves, 2020)…”

“…Species that co-evolved increased competitive interactions between them. Coevolution between competitors is expected to change species abundances within the community and affect subsequent community evolution (Nair et al, 2019;Scheuerl et al, 2019Scheuerl et al, , 2020; Figure 1).…”

“…Thus, co-evolution experiments focused initially on microorganisms sharing negative interactions (i.e., predation, antagonism) (Nair et al, 2019;Scheuerl et al, 2019). Nowadays, co-evolution experiments also focus on mutualistic interactions, because these interactions are widespread in nature (Chomicki et al, 2020).…”

“…Several EE studies investigate the evolution of pairwise interactions between organisms (Nair et al, 2019;Scheuerl et al, 2019;Vidal and Segraves, 2020;Rodríguez-Verdugo and Ackermann, 2021). Here again, EE can be performed in constant environment (controlled microcosms with stable nutritive and physicochemical parameters), or in a fluctuating or complex environment (Table 1).…”