Spatial heterogeneity promotes antagonistic evolutionary scenarios in microbial community explained by ecological stratification: a simulation study

There are two evolutionary trends in genome organization among microbes: towards either amplification or reduction. Which evolutionary scenario overcomes depends on environmental conditions and the complexity of gene networks determining phenotypic traits such as metabolic features of cells. In this simulation study, we have shown that the habitats characterized by nutrient gradients allow spatial subdivision of evolutionary trends depending on...