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SUMMARY:The evolution of evolvability - Paul Rainey\, Max Planck Institute
  for Evolutionary Biology
DTSTART:20251016T120000Z
DTEND:20251016T130000Z
UID:TALK235507@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:131500
DESCRIPTION:I will discuss the hypothesis that life may have evolved to ev
 olve — a provocative idea given that it appears to require foresight on 
 the part of natural selection. The controversy arises because evolvability
  is a property of lineages\, not individuals\, and thus implies that selec
 tion can operate at levels above single entities. To probe the mechanisms 
 underlying evolvability\, we conducted a long-term evolution experiment in
  bacterial populations. Over three years\, lineages evolved under a select
 ive regime in which success depended on the capacity to mutate between two
  phenotypic states. Lineages capable of generating the necessary phenotype
  for future environmental conditions displaced those lacking this capacity
 . After a series of 46 mutations\, a type emerged that appeared to 'antici
 pate' the future via localised hyper-mutation — a mechanism analogous to
  contingency loci in pathogenic bacteria. I will describe the stepwise eme
 rgence of this capacity and present experiments demonstrating that the loc
 us itself is evolvable. Additionally\, I will highlight an unanticipated c
 onsequence of enhanced evolvability: its facilitation of secondary adaptiv
 e mutations. In closing\, I will argue that selection acting on lineages m
 ay be more prevalent and consequential than currently recognised.
LOCATION:Part II Lecture Theatre\, Department of Zoology
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