van Gestel group

Evolution of microbial life cycles

Both eukaryotic and prokaryotic microbes display astonishing forms of primitive development, with life cycles that include unicellular, collective, and often dormant life stages. We study how such microbial life cycles evolve in soil communities by focusing on predation, one of the primary ecological drivers of evolutionary innovation. Starting from our soil-dwelling predator-prey model system with Dictyostelium discoideum and Bacillus subtilis, we investigate how bacteriovorous protists and bacterial prey interact, adapt and evolve.

Life cycle transitions. Microbial life cycles of eukaryotic Dictyostelids and prokaryotic Bacilli. Dictyostelids display a complex life cycle where amoebae can transition to migratory slugs, spore-bearing fruiting bodies, macrocysts or sometimes microcysts. Likewise, also Bacilli display a rich life cycle, where cells transition between a motile state, sessile/filamentous state and dormant state.