M.G.J.L. (Michelle) Habets: "Experimental evolution & biodiversity"

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1 Feb 2008 11:00
Unit: Wageningen University
Location: Aula, building 362, Gen. Foulkesweg 1, Wageningen
Organisation: Wageningen University
Promotor: prof.dr. R.F. Hoekstra (Genetics (Population and Quantitative Genetics))
Co Promotor: Dr. J.A.G.M. de Visser

 With species disappearing at a rate equalled by few mass extinctions, the preservation of biodiversity has become a matter of public urgency. However, the effectiveness of strategies for preserving diversity is constrained by our limited knowledge of the mechanisms giving rise to and maintaining diversity. We have investigated the effect of spatial structure on the emergence and maintenance of diversity by evolving E. coli populations in environments that differ in their degree of structure. Micro-organisms are ideal for investigating evolutionary questions, because they do not only evolve fast, but their evolution can also be halted temporarily by storing them in the freezer for later analysis. This allows the direct comparison between evolved bacteria and their ancestor facilitating a study of circumstances where one is competitively superior and where co-existence is possible. We have found that spatial structure has a positive effect on diversity, because it divides the population into many small subpopulations that can evolve individually. In addition, structure slows down competitive exclusion and increases environmental heterogeneity, creating more niches.

Titel thesis: "Experimental ecology and evolution of microbial diversity: the role of spatial structure"
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