TY - JOUR
T1 - Mutualism reduces the severity of gene disruptions in predictable ways across microbial communities
AU - Martinson, Jonathan N.V.
AU - Chacón, Jeremy M.
AU - Smith, Brian A.
AU - Villarreal, Alex R.
AU - Hunter, Ryan C.
AU - Harcombe, William R.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2023, The Author(s).
PY - 2023/12
Y1 - 2023/12
N2 - Predicting evolution in microbial communities is critical for problems from human health to global nutrient cycling. Understanding how species interactions impact the distribution of fitness effects for a focal population would enhance our ability to predict evolution. Specifically, does the type of ecological interaction, such as mutualism or competition, change the average effect of a mutation (i.e., the mean of the distribution of fitness effects)? Furthermore, how often does increasing community complexity alter the impact of species interactions on mutant fitness? To address these questions, we created a transposon mutant library in Salmonella enterica and measured the fitness of loss of function mutations in 3,550 genes when grown alone versus competitive co-culture or mutualistic co-culture with Escherichia coli and Methylorubrum extorquens. We found that mutualism reduces the average impact of mutations, while competition had no effect. Additionally, mutant fitness in the 3-species communities can be predicted by averaging the fitness in each 2-species community. Finally, we discovered that in the mutualism S. enterica obtained vitamins and more amino acids than previously known. Our results suggest that species interactions can predictably impact fitness effect distributions, in turn suggesting that evolution may ultimately be predictable in multi-species communities.
AB - Predicting evolution in microbial communities is critical for problems from human health to global nutrient cycling. Understanding how species interactions impact the distribution of fitness effects for a focal population would enhance our ability to predict evolution. Specifically, does the type of ecological interaction, such as mutualism or competition, change the average effect of a mutation (i.e., the mean of the distribution of fitness effects)? Furthermore, how often does increasing community complexity alter the impact of species interactions on mutant fitness? To address these questions, we created a transposon mutant library in Salmonella enterica and measured the fitness of loss of function mutations in 3,550 genes when grown alone versus competitive co-culture or mutualistic co-culture with Escherichia coli and Methylorubrum extorquens. We found that mutualism reduces the average impact of mutations, while competition had no effect. Additionally, mutant fitness in the 3-species communities can be predicted by averaging the fitness in each 2-species community. Finally, we discovered that in the mutualism S. enterica obtained vitamins and more amino acids than previously known. Our results suggest that species interactions can predictably impact fitness effect distributions, in turn suggesting that evolution may ultimately be predictable in multi-species communities.
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U2 - 10.1038/s41396-023-01534-6
DO - 10.1038/s41396-023-01534-6
M3 - Article
C2 - 37865718
AN - SCOPUS:85174617745
SN - 1751-7362
VL - 17
SP - 2270
EP - 2278
JO - ISME Journal
JF - ISME Journal
IS - 12
ER -