Surfing on the seascape: Adaptation in a changing environment

article Surfing on the seascape: Adaptation in a changing environment published yes Barbora Trubenova author 42302D54-F248-11E8-B48F-1D18A9856A870000-0002-6873-2967 Martin Krejca author Per Kristian Lehre author Timo Kötzing author NiBa department Rate of Adaptation in Changing Environment project Speed of Adaptation in Population Genetics and Evolutionary Computation project The environment changes constantly at various time scales and, in order to survive, species need to keep adapting. Whether these species succeed in avoiding extinction is a major evolutionary question. Using a multilocus evolutionary model of a mutation‐limited population adapting under strong selection, we investigate the effects of the frequency of environmental fluctuations on adaptation. Our results rely on an “adaptive‐walk” approximation and use mathematical methods from evolutionary computation theory to investigate the interplay between fluctuation frequency, the similarity of environments, and the number of loci contributing to adaptation. First, we assume a linear additive fitness function, but later generalize our results to include several types of epistasis. We show that frequent environmental changes prevent populations from reaching a fitness peak, but they may also prevent the large fitness loss that occurs after a single environmental change. Thus, the population can survive, although not thrive, in a wide range of conditions. Furthermore, we show that in a frequently changing environment, the similarity of threats that a population faces affects the level of adaptation that it is able to achieve. We check and supplement our analytical results with simulations. https://research-explorer.ista.ac.at/download/6637/6643/2019_Evolution_TrubenovaBarbora.pdf application/pdfno Wiley2019 eng Evolution 00047403160000110.1111/evo.13784 7371356-1374 B. Trubenova, M. Krejca, P.K. Lehre, T. Kötzing, Evolution 73 (2019) 1356–1374. Trubenova B, Krejca M, Lehre PK, Kötzing T. Surfing on the seascape: Adaptation in a changing environment. Evolution. 2019;73(7):1356-1374. doi:<a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/evo.13784">10.1111/evo.13784</a> Trubenova, B., Krejca, M., Lehre, P. K., & Kötzing, T. (2019). Surfing on the seascape: Adaptation in a changing environment. Evolution. Wiley. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/evo.13784">https://doi.org/10.1111/evo.13784</a> Trubenova, Barbora, et al. “Surfing on the Seascape: Adaptation in a Changing Environment.” Evolution, vol. 73, no. 7, Wiley, 2019, pp. 1356–74, doi:<a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/evo.13784">10.1111/evo.13784</a>. Trubenova B, Krejca M, Lehre PK, Kötzing T. 2019. Surfing on the seascape: Adaptation in a changing environment. Evolution. 73(7), 1356–1374. Trubenova, Barbora, Martin Krejca, Per Kristian Lehre, and Timo Kötzing. “Surfing on the Seascape: Adaptation in a Changing Environment.” Evolution. Wiley, 2019. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/evo.13784">https://doi.org/10.1111/evo.13784</a>. B. Trubenova, M. Krejca, P. K. Lehre, and T. Kötzing, “Surfing on the seascape: Adaptation in a changing environment,” Evolution, vol. 73, no. 7. Wiley, pp. 1356–1374, 2019. 66372019-07-14T21:59:20Z2025-04-14T07:22:28Z