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Constraints, Trade-offs and the Currency of Fitness

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Abstract

Understanding evolutionary trajectories remains a difficult task. This is because natural evolutionary processes are simultaneously affected by various types of constraints acting at the different levels of biological organization. Of particular importance are constraints where correlated changes occur in opposite directions, called trade-offs. Here we review and classify the main evolutionary constraints and trade-offs, operating at all levels of trait hierarchy. Special attention is given to life history trade-offs and the conflict between the survival and reproduction components of fitness. Cellular mechanisms underlying fitness trade-offs are described. At the metabolic level, a linear trade-off between growth and flux variability was found, employing bacterial genome-scale metabolic reconstructions. Its analysis indicates that flux variability can be considered as the currency of fitness. This currency is used for fitness transfer between fitness components during adaptations. Finally, a discussion is made regarding the constraints which limit the increase in the amount of fitness currency during evolution, suggesting that occupancy constraints are probably the main restrictions.

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Acknowledgments

The author acknowledges support from Programa de Desarrollo de las Ciencias Básicas (PEDECIBA, Montevideo) and Agencia Nacional de Investigación e Innovación (ANII, Montevideo).

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  1. System Biology Laboratory, Faculty of Sciences, Universidad de la República, Iguá 4225, 11400, Montevideo, Uruguay

    Luis Acerenza

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Acerenza, L. Constraints, Trade-offs and the Currency of Fitness. J Mol Evol 82, 117–127 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00239-016-9730-3

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