Abstract
Experimental evolution has provided novel insight into a wide array of biological processes. Species in the genus Tetrahymena are proving to be a highly useful system for studying a range of questions using experimental evolution. Their unusual genomic architecture, diversity of life history traits, importance as both predator and prey, and amenability to laboratory culture allow them to be studied in a variety of contexts. In this paper, we review what we are learning from experimental evolution with Tetrahymena about mutation, adaptation, and eco-evolutionary dynamics. We predict that future experimental evolution studies using Tetrahyemena will continue to shed new light on these processes.
Highlights
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Mutation is the ultimate source of all genetic variation, knowledge about the rate and spectrum of mutations is crucial to our understanding of evolution, disease, and biodiversity, among other things
This study found that T. thermophila MIC and MAC have similar rates of mutations that affect fitness and the rate and selection coefficients of these mutations does not differ substantially from other studied eukaryotes [18]
Summary
Experimental evolution is a powerful research approach that involves evolving populations of organisms under controlled conditions in order to test hypotheses about various evolutionary processes, such as mutation, adaptation, diversification, and coevolution [1]. The new macronucleus develops by undergoing substantial genome reorganization, including chromosomal fragmentation, the elimination of DNA, and increase in chromosome copy number [3] This genome structure results in an unusual form of asexual division called amitosis, where chromosomes are distributed apparently randomly to offspring [4]. The complex genomics and life cycle of Tetrahymena allow researchers to address questions that are difficult to address in other systems, such as the consequences of sexual versus asexual reproduction or how evolution in the germline compares to evolution in the soma.
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