The Co-Evolution of Cooperation and Communication in Quorum Sensing Systems
Quorum sensing is a widespread form of communication among bacteria that allows populations to adapt to changing environments. Communication occurs through the production and detection of signaling molecules. When the level of these signals surpasses a threshold, quorum sensing triggers rapid and potentially broad behavioral changes. Because these changes often involve social behaviors, quorum sensing is now understood to play a vital role in cooperation. By allowing populations to cooperate only when beneficial, quorum sensing stabilizes cooperation both in changing environments and in the presence of cheaters. This project combines bacterial experimentation with mathematical- and computational modeling to address three key aspects related to the link between quorum sensing and cooperation: how communication allows cooperators to respond to changing environments, how communication allows cooperators to resist invasion by cheaters, and how communication and cooperation co-evolve. Each of these outcomes is critical for the evolution and maintenance of cooperation in natural communities, which are typically composed of many interacting species, and which face constant environmental change.
Training objectives focus on multi-model investigation using a combination of biological, mathematical, and computational approaches. This project will strengthen and expand on the fellow's skills in microbial experimental evolution and mathematical modeling. Broader impacts include mentoring undergraduate students, the production of open source software modules for teaching evolution both in educational settings and at home by the general public, and the creation of interactive art which captures and illustrates the dynamics of evolving, cooperating systems.
