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Motile curved bacteria are Pareto-optimal.


ABSTRACT: Curved rods are a ubiquitous bacterial phenotype, but the fundamental question of why they are shaped this way remains unanswered. Through in silico experiments, we assessed freely swimming straight- and curved-rod bacteria of a wide diversity of equal-volume shapes parameterized by elongation and curvature, and predicted their performances in tasks likely to strongly influence overall fitness. Performance trade-offs between these tasks lead to a variety of shapes that are Pareto-optimal, including coccoids, all straight rods, and a range of curvatures. Comparison with an extensive morphological survey of motile curved-rod bacteria indicates that the vast majority of species fall within the Pareto-optimal region of morphospace. This result is consistent with evolutionary trade-offs between just three tasks: efficient swimming, chemotaxis, and low cell construction cost. We thus reveal the underlying selective pressures driving morphological diversity in a widespread component of microbial ecosystems.

SUBMITTER: Schuech R 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6642390 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Motile curved bacteria are Pareto-optimal.

Schuech Rudi R   Hoehfurtner Tatjana T   Smith David J DJ   Humphries Stuart S  

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 20190702 29


Curved rods are a ubiquitous bacterial phenotype, but the fundamental question of why they are shaped this way remains unanswered. Through in silico experiments, we assessed freely swimming straight- and curved-rod bacteria of a wide diversity of equal-volume shapes parameterized by elongation and curvature, and predicted their performances in tasks likely to strongly influence overall fitness. Performance trade-offs between these tasks lead to a variety of shapes that are Pareto-optimal, includ  ...[more]

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