Experimental coevolution in microbial communities

协同进化被认为是普遍存在的，并对进化和生态过程产生深远的影响。然而，我们对共同进化的理解主要来自高度专业化的成对相互作用，例如宿主和寄生虫，植物和传粉者。然而，很明显，物种存在于复杂的群落中，在那里它们与多个竞争物种相互作用。我们目前对这些复杂群落中的共同进化如何进行，或者共同进化的结果知之甚少。我们已经开发了一个稳定的多物种微生物系统，我们将使用它来实验确定群落多样性如何影响共同进化及其后果，使用表型和组学技术相结合。我们将测试从与实验工作并行发展的新理论中产生的特定假设。

Coevolution is believed to be ubiquitous and have profound impacts on evolutionary and ecological processes. However, our understanding of coevolution is primarily derived from highly specialised pairwise interactions, such as hosts and parasites and plants and pollinators. Yet it is clear that species exist in complex communities, where they interact with multiple competing species. We currently have little idea as to how coevolution proceeds in these complex communities, or the resultant consequences of coevolution. We have developed a stable multi-species microbial system which we will use to experimentally determine how community diversity affects coevolution and its consequences, using a combination of phenotypic and 'omic techniques. We will test specific hypotheses generated from novel theory developed in parallel with the experimental work.