Data from: When sensing is gambling: an experimental system reveals how plasticity can generate tunable bet-hedging strategies

Genotypes can persist in unpredictable environments by ‘hedging their bets’ and producing diverse phenotypes. Theoretical studies have shown that the phenotypic variability needed for a bet-hedging strategy can be generated by factors either inside or outside an organism. However, sensing the environment and bet hedging are frequently treated as distinct evolutionary strategies. Furthermore, nearly all empirical studies of the molecular underpinnings of bet-hedging strategies to date have focused on internal sources of variability. We took a synthetic approach and constructed an experimental system where a phenotypic trade-off is mediated by actively sensing a cue present in the environment. We show that active sensing can generate a diversified bet-hedging strategy. Mutations affecting the norm of reaction to the cue alter the diversification strategy, indicating that bet hedging by active sensing is evolvable. Our results indicate that a broader class of biological systems should be considered as potential examples of bet-hedging strategies, and that research into the structure of environmental variability is needed to distinguish bet-hedging strategies from adaptive plasticity.

基因型可通过下注对冲（bet-hedging）策略并产生多样表型，在不可预测的环境中存续。理论研究表明，下注对冲策略所需的表型变异，可由生物体内部或外部的因素诱导产生。然而，环境感知与下注对冲常被视作两种独立的进化策略。此外，迄今为止几乎所有针对下注对冲策略分子基础的实证研究，均聚焦于变异的内部来源。本研究采用合成生物学方法，构建了一套实验体系：其中表型权衡由对环境中存在的信号的主动感知所介导。研究证实，主动感知可催生多样化的下注对冲策略。影响该信号反应规范（norm of reaction）的突变，会改变其多样化策略，这表明基于主动感知的下注对冲具有可进化性。本研究结果表明，应将更广泛的生物系统视为下注对冲策略的潜在范例，且需开展环境变异结构相关研究，以区分下注对冲策略与适应性可塑性（adaptive plasticity）。