Abstract
Evolutionary changes depend on adaptive evolution and two other components that traditionally have not been taken into account: chance and history. However, concepts in evolutionary biology are very often supported by descriptive studies but not by empirical approach. In order to disentangle the three components of evolutionary change, we have investigated the effects of long-term selection pressure on fitness and cell size in the bloom-forming dinoflagellate, Prorocentrum triestinum Schiller, under increased nutrient concentrations and temperature. Two strains of P. triestinum, previously adapted to grow under standard conditions (f/2 medium, 20°C), were grown under increased nutrient concentrations and temperature (f medium, 25°C) until fitness and cell size were invariant as a function of time (720 days, corresponding to c. 400 generations). The mean value for fitness of both strains of P. triestinum showed a significant increase whereas a decrease in mean cell size was found. The changes in fitness have adaptive value, but the changes in cell size were due to both adaptation and the contribution of chance-plus-history.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Andersen RA, Berges JA, Harrison PJ, Watanabe MM (2005) Recipes for freshwater and seawater media. In: Andersen RA (ed) Algal culturing techniques. Elsevier, Amsterdam, pp 429–538
Bull JJ, Badget MR, Wichman HA, Huelsenbeck JP, Hillis DM, Gulati A, Ho C, Molineux IJ (1997) Exceptional convergent evolution in virus. Genetics 147:1497–1507
Calder WA III (1984) Size, function and life history. Harvard University Press, Cambridge
Crow JS, Kimura M (1970) An introduction to population genetic theory. Harper, New York
Cuevas JM, Elena SF, Moya A (2002) Molecular basis of adaptive convergence in experimental populations of RNA viruses. Genetics 162:533–542
Gould SJ (1989) Wonderful life: The Burgess Shale and the nature of history. Norton, New York
Gould SJ (2002) The structure of evolutionary theory. Harvard University Press, Cambridge
Gould SJ, Lewontin RC (1979) The spandrels of San Marco and the Panglosian paradigm: a critique of the adaptationist programme. Proc R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 205:581–598
Graham JM (2000) Phytoplankton ecology. In: Graham LE, Wilcox LW (eds) Algae. Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, New Jersey, pp 544–602
Kimura M (1983) The neutral theory of molecular evolution. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge
Korona R (1996) Genetic divergence and fitness convergence under uniform selection in experimental populations of bacteria. Genetics 143:637–644
Peters RH (1983) The ecological implications of body size. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge
Pérez-Zaballos FJ, Ortega-Mora LM, Álvarez-García G, Collantes-Fernández E, Navarro-Lozano V, García-Villada L, Costas E (2005) Adaptation of Neospora caninum isolates to cell-culture changes: an argument in favor of its clonal population structure. J Parasitol 91:507–510
Rodríguez J, Tintoré J, Allen JT, Blanco JM, Gomis D, Real A, Ruiz J, Rodríguez V, Echevarría F, Jiménez-Gómez F (2001) Mesoscale vertical motion and the size structure in the ocean. Nature 410:360–363
Rost B, Richter K-U, Riebessell U, Hansen PJ (2005) Inorganic carbon acquisition in red tide dinoflagellates. Plant Cell Environ 29:810–822
Smith JM (1998) Evolutionary genetics, 2nd edn. Oxford University Press, Oxford
Sokal RR, Rohlf FJ (1995) Biometry, 3rd edn. Freeman, New York
Steidinger KA, Tangen K (1997) Dinoflagellates. In: Tomas CR (ed) Identifyng marine phytoplankton. Academic, San Diego, pp 387–584
Suzuki DT, Griffiths AJF, Miller JH, Lewontin RC (1989) An introduction to genetic analysis, 4th edn. Freeman, New York
Travisano M, Mongold JA, Bennet AF, Lenski RE (1995) Experimental tests of the roles of adaptation, chance and history in evolution. Science 267:87–90
Wagenaar DA, Adami C (2004) Influence of chance, history and adaptation on digital evolution. Artif Life 10:181–190
Williams M (1977) Stereological techniques. In: Hayat M (ed) Practical methods in electron microscopy. Elsevier, New York, pp 23–45
Acknowledgments
This work was financially supported by REN 2000-0771 HID, REN 2001-1211 HID, Parques Nacionales 093/2003 and P05-RNM-00935 grants. Eric C. Henry kindly revised the English style and usage. We thank Libertad García-Villada and Jordi Figuerola for their helpful comments.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Flores-Moya, A., Costas, E. & López-Rodas, V. Roles of adaptation, chance and history in the evolution of the dinoflagellate Prorocentrum triestinum . Naturwissenschaften 95, 697–703 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00114-008-0372-1
Received:
Revised:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00114-008-0372-1