Projektnummer

0054890

Zusammenfassung

Mutualisms are cooperative interactions between two species to the mutual benefit of both parties. Despite their fundamental ecological importance, does their existence pose an evolutionary conundrum: Why does one species invest costly resources into another one and not use them for itself. This long-neglected question is the main focus of this project. In particular, ecological factors and evolutionary conditions will be identified that contribute to the evolution and maintenance of mutualisms. In an experimental approach, two bacterial species will be exposed to ecological conditions...