Editor's Summary

11 September 2008

Microbe models get real

Experiments using simple microbial systems can potentially cast light on evolutionary and ecological processes. But are such results generally applicable to real ecosystems? Forde et al. construct mathematical models for how host–parasite co-evolution might affect diversity at different nutrient levels. Using the example of T7 phage and Escherichia coli, they show that many results are insensitive to the biological details of the interaction. But peculiarities of the model system can be predicted and experimentally verified, suggesting that the mathematical models are sound. This coupling of an array of models with experimental verification provides a method to understand which predictions might be model sensitive and which are of more general relevance.

Letter: Understanding the limits to generalizability of experimental evolutionary models

Samantha E. Forde, Robert E. Beardmore, Ivana Gudelj, Sinan S. Arkin, John N. Thompson & Laurence D. Hurst

doi:10.1038/nature07152

First paragraph | Full Text | PDF (385K) | Supplementary information