Project

Experimental evolution of fungus Aspergillus nidulans

Most evolution experiments involve unicellular microbes growing in unstructured, well-mixed habitats. Last year, we (= Marijke Slakhorst) started a laboratory evolution experiment with the multi-cellular fungus Aspergillus nidulans with an inherent structured mycelial growth form.

Description:

Replicate populations of two ancestors (with green and yellow spores) evolve on an agar minimal medium with 0.1% glucose by weekly transferring 1% of the asexual spores to fresh medium.  We are specifically interested in the dynamics of adaptation, the convergence and divergence of fitness and other phenotypes among replicate populations, the ecological strategies used for adaptation, and the evolved developmental changes (e.g. in hyphal branching, sexual spore formation).  A first analysis showed that fitness has increased 2-3 fold over the first 20 weeks, and that several spore-color and other morphological polymorphisms evolved within these populations.

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Used skills:

Basic microbiological and molecular techniques to measure evolved changes. Statistical analysis.

Requirements:

Molecular and Evolutionary Ecology (GEN20304) and Genetic Analyses Tools and Concepts (GEN30306) provide a good preparation.

Supervisors

Fons Debets and Arjan de Visser

Reference:

Schoustra et al. 2007 Mitotic recombination accelerates adaptation in the fungus Aspergillus nidulans. PLoS Genet. 3: e68.