The community background alters the evolution of thermal performance

Microbes are key drivers of global biogeochemical cycles and their functional roles are heavily dependent on temperature. Large population sizes and rapid turnover rates mean that the predominant response of microbes to environmental warming is likely to be evolutionary, yet our understanding of evolutionary responses to temperature change in microbial systems is rudimentary. Natural microbial communities are diverse assemblages of interacting taxa. However, most studies investigating the evolutionary response of bacteria to temperature change are focused on monocultures. Here we utilise high throughput experimental evolution of bacteria in both monoculture and community contexts along a thermal gradient to determine how interspecific interactions influence the thermal adaptation of community members. We found that community-evolved isolates tended towards higher maximum growth rates across the temperature gradient compared to their monoculture-evolved counterparts. We also saw little e..., Study taxa
Study taxa were derived from biofilm samples collected in May 2016- May 2017 from rock surfaces in several freshwater streams in Hvergerdi Valley, Iceland (64.02, −21.18). These samples were frozen in a 17% glycerol solution after collection and were stored at -20°C. The freshwater streams from which they originated ranged in temperature from 7°C - 38°C, due to variation in the levels of geothermal warming at the site (O’Gorman et al., 2014). On return to the laboratory, samples were thawed at 20°C. The solution they were transported in was then diluted consecutively, and 10 µL of solution was spread onto agar plates and incubated for 10 days at 20°C. Samples were taken from a random selection of the resulting colonies and were placed into 200 µL of lysogeny broth and incubated for 48 hours. This inoculated lysogeny broth was then centrifuged, and the supernatant was discarded. The pellet of bacterial cells was then placed into a lysogeny broth containing 17% glycerol and was..., , # The community background alters the evolution of thermal performance

## GENERAL INFORMATION

Corresponding author

* Name: Joseph Westley
* Institution: University of Exeter
* Email: [[e-mail]](mailto:[e-mail])

Principal Investigator

* Name: Prof. Gabriel Yvon-Durocher
* Institution: University of Exeter
* Email: [[e-mail]](mailto:[e-mail])

Co-author 1

* Name: Dr. Francisca C. García
* Institution: King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST)
* Email: [[e-mail]](mailto:[e-mail])

Co-author 2

* Name: Ruth Warfield
* Institution: University of Exeter
* Email: [[e-mail]](mailto:[e-mail])

Date of data collection: 2020

## SHARING/ACCESS INFORMATION

**Recommended citation for this dataset:** Westley, J., García, F. C., Warfield, R., Yvon-Durocher, G. (2024). Data from: The community background alters the evolution of thermal performance. Dryad Digital ...