The mode of host-parasite interaction shapes coevolutionary dynamics and the fate of host cooperation

Antagonistic coevolution between hosts and parasites can have a major impact on host population structures, and hence on the evolution of social traits. Using stochastic modelling techniques in the context of bacteria-virus interactions, we investigate the impact of coevolution across a continuum of host-parasite genetic specificity (specifically, where genotypes have the same infectivity/resistance ranges (matching alleles, MA) to highly variable ranges (gene-for-gene, GFG)) on population genetic structure, and on the social behaviour of the host. We find that host cooperation is more likely to be maintained towards the MA end of the continuum, as the more frequent bottlenecks associated with an MA-like interaction can prevent defector invasion, and can even allow migrant cooperators to invade populations of defectors.Comment: 8 pages, 4 figures, 1 Supplementary Material file attached (to view it, please download the source file listed under "Other formats"

Understanding the limits to generalizability of experimental evolutionary models.

Post print version of article deposited in accordance with SHERPA RoMEO guidelines. The final definitive version is available online at: http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v455/n7210/abs/nature07152.htmlGiven the difficulty of testing evolutionary and ecological theory in situ, in vitro model systems are attractive alternatives; however, can we appraise whether an experimental result is particular to the in vitro model, and, if so, characterize the systems likely to behave differently and understand why? Here we examine these issues using the relationship between phenotypic diversity and resource input in the T7-Escherichia coli co-evolving system as a case history. We establish a mathematical model of this interaction, framed as one instance of a super-class of host-parasite co-evolutionary models, and show that it captures experimental results. By tuning this model, we then ask how diversity as a function of resource input could behave for alternative co-evolving partners (for example, E. coli with lambda bacteriophages). In contrast to populations lacking bacteriophages, variation in diversity with differences in resources is always found for co-evolving populations, supporting the geographic mosaic theory of co-evolution. The form of this variation is not, however, universal. Details of infectivity are pivotal: in T7-E. coli with a modified gene-for-gene interaction, diversity is low at high resource input, whereas, for matching-allele interactions, maximal diversity is found at high resource input. A combination of in vitro systems and appropriately configured mathematical models is an effective means to isolate results particular to the in vitro system, to characterize systems likely to behave differently and to understand the biology underpinning those alternatives

Ecological conditions determine extinction risk in co-evolving bacteria-phage populations.

BACKGROUND: Antagonistic coevolution between bacteria and their viral parasites, phage, drives continual evolution of resistance and infectivity traits through recurrent cycles of adaptation and counter-adaptation. Both partners are vulnerable to extinction through failure of adaptation. Environmental conditions may impose unequal abiotic selection pressures on each partner, destabilising the coevolutionary relationship and increasing the extinction risk of one partner. In this study we explore how the degree of population mixing and resource supply affect coevolution-induced extinction risk by coevolving replicate populations of Pseudomonas fluorescens SBW25 with its associated lytic phage SBW25Ф2 under four treatment regimens incorporating low and high resource availability with mixed or static growth conditions. RESULTS: We observed an increased risk of phage extinction under population mixing, and in low resource conditions. High levels of evolved bacterial resistance promoted phage extinction at low resources under both mixed and static conditions, whereas phage populations could survive when phage susceptible bacterial genotypes rose to high frequency. CONCLUSIONS: These findings demonstrate that phage extinction risk is influenced by multiple abiotic conditions, which together act to destabilise the bacteria-phage coevolutionary relationship. The risk of coevolution-induced extinction is therefore dependent on the ecological context

Influence of the secondary phases and post-annealing on the transport current density of sinter-forged (Bi, Pb)-2223 ceramics

Transport critical current measurements were performed at 77 K on bulk silver-less (Bi, Pb)2Sr2Ca2Cu3O10+x ceramics textured by slow sinter-forging process. The influences of the 85 K superconductive 2212 phase and non-superconductive secondary phases (SrxCa1−x)2PbO4, (Sr,Ca)14Cu24Oy and (SrxCa1−x)2CuO3, are discussed in terms of their amounts, their grain sizes and shapes and their distribution among the 2223 matrix. The importance of the temperature profile and the atmosphere the annealing that follows the sinter-forging process is clearly demonstrated

Imaging the photodissociation dynamics of the methyl radical from the 3s and 3pz Rydberg states

8 págs.; 6 figs.; 1 tab.The photodissociation dynamics of the methyl radical from the 3s and 3pz Rydberg states have been studied using the velocity map and slice ion imaging in combination with pump–probe nanosecond laser pulses. The reported translational energy and angular distributions of the H(2S) photofragment detected by (2+1) REMPI highlight different dissociation mechanisms for the 3s and 3pz Rydberg states. A narrow peak in the translational energy distribution and an anisotropic angular distribution characterize the fast 3s photodissociation, while for the 3pz state Boltzmann-type translational energy and isotropic angular distributions are found. High level ab initio calculations have been performed in order to elucidate the photodissociation mechanisms from the two Rydberg states and to rationalize the experimental results. The calculated potential energy curves highlight a typical predissociation mechanism for the 3s state, characterized by the coupling between the 3s Rydberg state and a valence repulsive state. On the other hand, the photodissociation on the 3pz state is initiated by a predissociation process due to the coupling between the 3pz Rydberg state and a valence repulsive state and constrained, later on, by two conical intersections that allow the system to relax to lower electronic states. Such a mechanism opens up different reaction pathways leading to CH2 photofragments in different electronic states and inducing a transfer of energy between translational and internal modes.S. M. P. acknowledges financial support from Campus de Excelencia Internacional Moncloa and LASING S. A. D. V. C. acknowledges a contract from MINECO under the Fondo de Garantıía Juvenil. A. Z. thanks the support from the European Research Council under the European Union’s 7th Framework Program (FP7/2007–2013)/ERC Grant agreement 610256 (NANOCOSMOS). M. G. G. is grateful to Spanish MINECO for a contract through Programa de Técnicos de Apoyo a Infraestructuras. This work has been financed by the Spanish MINECO (grants FIS2011- 29596-C02-01, CTQ2012-37404-C02-01, FIS2013-40626-P and CTQ2015-65033-P) and by COST Actions CM1401 and CM05. This research has been carried out within the Unidad Asociada Química Física Molecular between Departamento de Química Física of Universidad Complutense de Madrid (UCM) and Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC). The facilities provided by the Centro de Láseres Ultrarrápidos at UCM are acknowledged. The Centro de Supercomputación de Galicia (CESGA, Spain) and CTI (CSIC) are acknowledged for the use of their resources.Peer Reviewe

Coherent electronic-vibrational dynamics in deuterium bromide probed via attosecond transient-absorption spectroscopy

Ultrafast laser excitation can trigger complex coherent dynamics in molecules. Here, we report attosecond transient-absorption experiments addressing simultaneous probing of electronic and vibrational dynamics in a prototype molecule, deuterium bromide (DBr), following its strong-field ionization. Electronic and vibrational coherences in the ionic XΠ3/22 and XΠ1/22 states are characterized in the Br-3d core-level absorption spectra via quantum beats with 12.6-fs and 19.9-fs periodicities, respectively. Polarization scans reveal that the phase of the electronic quantum beats depends on the probe direction, experimentally showing that the coherent electronic motion corresponds to oscillation of the hole density along the ionization-field direction. The vibrational quantum beats are found to maintain a relatively constant amplitude, whereas the electronic quantum beats exhibit a partial decrease in time. Quantum wave-packet simulations show that decoherence from vibrational motion is insignificant because the XΠ3/22 and XΠ1/22 potentials are nearly parallel. A comparison between the DBr and HBr results suggests that rotational motion is responsible for the decoherence since it leads to initial alignment prepared by the strong-field ionization

A velocity-map imaging study of the non-resonant multiphoton ionization detection of methyl photofragments from the photodissociation of CH3I in the A-band

MOLEC 2016, Toledo (Spain), 11 - 16 September 2016N