GNPS - Physiological Characterization of Adaptive Evolutionary Dynamics

Long-term laboratory evolution experiments provide a controlled record of evolutionary dynamics and metabolic change in microorganisms. Nevertheless, the correspondence between genetic mutation and phenotypic adaptation remains elusive, partly because of the overwhelming number of genetic changes that accrue after tens-of-thousands of generations. Using a coarse-grained characterization of bacterial physiology applied to Lenski's laboratory-evolved strains of Escherichia coli, we identify an intermediate measure between genotype and phenotype that provides insight into the dynamics of adaptation.