Abstract
The hermaphroditic nematode Caenorhabditis elegans has been one of the primary model systems in biology since the 1970s, but only within the last two decades has this nematode also become a useful model for experimental evolution. Here, we outline the goals and major foci of experimental evolution with C. elegans and related species, such as C. briggsae and C. remanei, by discussing the principles of experimental design, and highlighting the strengths and limitations of Caenorhabditis as model systems. We then review three exemplars of Caenorhabditis experimental evolution studies, underlining representative evolution experiments that have addressed the: (1) maintenance of genetic variation; (2) role of natural selection during transitions from outcrossing to selfing, as well as the maintenance of mixed breeding modes during evolution; and (3) evolution of phenotypic plasticity and its role in adaptation to variable environments, including host–pathogen coevolution. We conclude by suggesting some future directions for which experimental evolution with Caenorhabditis would be particularly informative.
Highlights
The hermaphroditic nematode Caenorhabditis elegans has been one of the primary model systems in biology since the 1970s, but only within the last two decades has this nematode become a useful model for experimental evolution
OVER a century ago, Emile Maupas introduced the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans to the scientific community with his report on a failed experiment aimed at testing the hypothesis that continual self-fertilization should lead to population extinction (Maupas 1900)
This goal was thwarted, as after nearly 50 generations of selfing, Maupas’ C. elegans culture collapsed due to an errant spike in temperature that led to abnormalities in development and reproduction independently of inbreeding effects
Summary
Reproductive assurance can promote transition to selfing; increased effective recombination promotes transitions to outcrossing. The feature of androdioecious Caenorhabiditis that is unique among metazoan experimental systems is that sex determination can be genetically manipulated, allowing researchers to obtain populations with variable ratios of males, females, and hermaphrodites (Haag et al 2002; Baldi et al 2009; Beadell et al 2011), and to achieve different degrees of selfing and outcrossing This has allowed the role of segregation and recombination in evolution to be tested independently of confounding environmental factors (Cutter 2005; Morran et al 2009b, 2011; Baer et al 2010; Chelo and Teotónio 2013; Theologidis et al 2014). Dominance and epistasis as revealed by inbreeding and outbreeding depression Rate, spectrum, and distribution of mutational effects
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