Résumé : The MEDECO Leg 2 cruise followed the MEDECO Leg 1 cruise that had crossed the Mediterranean Sea from the west to the east to study benthic communities of the Var canyon, deep corals found on the Calabrian Margin and cold seep ecosystems of the Mediterranean Ridge. The main objective of the MEDECO Leg 2 cruise was to study and compare, using a multidisciplinary approach, the structure and dynamics of deep-sea ecosystems at various active cold seep sites from the Nile deep sea fan and the Calabrian Arc, in the Eastern Mediterranean sea. During MEDECO Legs 1 & 2, a multiscale strategy was promoted to integrate (1) a high resolution cartography of geological structures (km2 scale), (2) a detailed mapping, including video imagery, of smaller-scale areas (scale 100 to 300 m2), (3) the physical, chemical and sedimentary characteristics of the habitat (multiscale), (4) the structure and functioning of faunal communities, including microbes, in terms of composition, diversity and biomass (multiscale), (5) small scale studies of interactions between organisms and their environment (scale < m2), (6) detailed ecophysiological studies at the organism scale on invertebrates. The use of the ROV “Victor 6000” and of various equipments for in situ and ex situ observations and measurements has helped reaching our objectives. The MEDECO cruise represented the key-Mediterranean cruise of the HERMES project “Hotspot Ecosystem Research on the Margins of European Seas” (P.I. P. Weaver, NOC-Southampton). The cruise was organized to follow the objectives of the HERMES program to better understand the functioning of deep ecosystems of the continental margins aiming at obtaining: (1) the description and quantification of the natural drivers (geological, hydrological, chemical factors) that control the distribution of ecosystems on margins; (2) the characterization and quantification of biodiversity, from bacteria to megafauna, as well as the knowledge of ecosystem functioning; (3) the study of ecosystems dynamics including the biology/physiology of key-species. Specific objectives. Colonization experiments conducted in the frame of two European programs, Diwoo and Chemeco, have given the opportunity to recover the fauna installed in the devices deployed during the Bionil cruise (2006) and to deploy new ones at the same site located in the pockmark area of the central province of Nile deep sea fan.

Droits : 2008 Insu, Cnrs, Locean
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00134/24550/22583.pdf
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00134/24550/

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Springer Verlag
Résumé : Understanding the ability of ecosystem processes to resist to and to recover from disturbances is critical to sustainable land use. However, the spatial variability of the stability has rarely been addressed. Here, we investigated the functional stability of a soil microbial process for 24 soils collected from adjacent locations from a 0.3 ha tropical rainforest plot in Paracou, French Guiana. The 24 locations were characterized regarding soil chemical and biological (microbial diversity) parameters and forest structure. The corresponding soils were submitted to an experimental transient heat disturbance during a microcosm experiment. The response of the respiration process was followed using substrate-induced respiration (SIR). The response of soil SIR to heat disturbance varied widely between samples. The variability of the SIR response increased just after the disturbance, and a global rather homogeneous decrease in SIR rates was observed 15 and 30 days after. The stability of SIR in response to heat disturbance could not be related to either the genetic or the metabolic diversity of the microbial community. The initial level of SIR before the disturbance was the soil variable that best correlated with the impact of the disturbance: the soil locations with the highest initial SIR rates were the most affected 15 and 30 days after the heat disturbance. Such a heterogeneous response suggests that the response of soil processes to a disturbance will be difficult to assess from only local-scale analyses and highlights the need for spatial explicitness in understanding biogeochemical processes.
ISSN: 1439-0108

hal-01204209
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01204209
DOI : 10.1007/s11368-012-0528-7
PRODINRA : 214444

Éditeur(s) : Pergamon-elsevier Science Ltd
Résumé : Metazooplankton abundance, biomass (<80 mu m, 200-500 mu m and >500 mu m) and community structure in the Ahe atoll were studied together with their relationships with environmental factors (temperature, salinity, wind) and trophic factors (phytoplankton, bacteria, heterotrophic nanoflagellates (HNF) and ciliates) during three periods in 2008-2009. Meroplankton, mainly bivalve and gastropod larvae, was dominant. Holoplankton was dominated by copepods, the main species being Oithona spp., Paracalanus parvus, Clausocalanus spp., Corycaeus spp., Acartia fossae and Undinula vulgaris. The results suggest a clear wind influence on the structure and horizontal distribution of the zooplankton communities. The metazooplankton appeared to be controlled mainly by food resources, suggesting a bottom-up control. The low nanophytoplankton biomass in contrast to the high abundance of picophytoplankton, HNF and nano-particle grazers (mainly Oithona spp., Paracalanus and bivalve larvae) highlighted the importance of the microbial loop in the food web. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Marine Pollution Bulletin (0025-326X) (Pergamon-elsevier Science Ltd), 2012 , Vol. 65 , N. 10-12 , P. 538-548

Droits : 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00101/21207/19419.pdf
DOI:10.1016/j.marpolbul.2012.01.025
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00101/21207/

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Elsevier
Résumé : In the context of an ongoing monitoring study on the impacts of gold-mining activities on critical ecosystem processes, we explored the use of soil Denitrifying Enzyme Activity (DEA) and Substrate Induced Respiration (SIR) as ecosystem indicators in tropical rainforests of French Guiana. We also propose DEA/SIR ratio as ecosystem attribute able to describe the state of an ecosystem and to reflect changes in ecological processes. With this purpose, we measured SIR, DEA and DEA/SIR ratio in five gold-mining areas and five surrounding natural reference rainforests. We also measured indicators in two conditions of spontaneous regeneration of vegetation (stratified or not) and two conditions of soil rehabilitation (prior preparation of soils or not). We showed a high variability of DEA, SIR and DEA/SIR ratio in the natural reference forests. This pointed out the necessity to identify relevant reference systems - i.e. proving a close match in all relevant ecological dimensions - to compare with closed perturbed systems in order to assess the levels of alterations after disturbances. Results showed a high impact of gold mine on microbial processes with a strong decrease of DEA (10-fold lower), SIR (2-fold lower) and DEA/SIR ratio (8-fold lower) in perturbed areas in comparison with natural reference forests. The type of spontaneous vegetation (stratified or not) influenced the values of indicators as well as prior rehabilitation of soils, demonstrating the capacity of DEA. SIR and DEA/SIR ratio to respond in proportion to the perturbation (robustness) and to the different levels of restoration (sensitivity). The systematic decrease of the ratio DEA/SIR observed in the studied perturbed situations demonstrates clearly that the structure of microbial communities has been also modified. The ratio DEA/SIR proved to be robust and sensitive, and able to describe in fairly fine way changes of soil microbial communities in terms of structure and function in gold mine areas and during processes of restoration. We propose to use DEA, SIR and DEA/SIR ratio as bioindicators of both structural and functional aspects of C and N cycling in soils. Together with others bioindicators based on key supporting functions in soils, these indicators should accurately evaluate the ecological potential of natural ecosystems and the levels of degradation in case of land-use changes. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
ISSN: 1470-160X

hal-01190730
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01190730
DOI : 10.1016/j.ecolind.2012.01.021
PRODINRA : 213639

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Elsevier
Résumé : International audience
Although ants may induce community-wide effects via changes in physical habitats in terrestrial environments, their influence on aquatic communities living in plant-held waters remains largely underexplored. The neotropical tank-bromeliad Aechmea mertensii (Bromeliaceae) occurs along forest edges in ant-gardens initiated by Camponotus femoratus or by Pachycondyla goeldii. Its leaves form wells that hold rainwater and provide suitable habitats for many aquatic organisms. We postulated that these ant-plant mutualisms indirectly affect the microbial community structure via changes in the environmental conditions experienced by the plants. To test this hypothesis, we analyzed the protist communities from 63 tank-bromeliads associated with either C. femoratus or P. goeldii (hereafter Cf-Aechmea and Pg-Aechmea) along a forest edge in French Guiana. For each plant, a large number of environmental variables (including habitat structure, food resources, incident radiation and the presence of aquatic invertebrates) were quantified to determine their relative importance in driving any observed differences across ant-associated plants. Pg-Aechmea are located in sun-exposed areas and hold low volumes of water and low amounts of detritus, whereas Cf-Aechmea are located in partially shaded areas and accumulate higher amounts of water and detritus. Protists (i.e., protozoa and algae) inhabiting Cf-Aechmea exhibit greater richness and abundances than those in Pg-Aechmea. Variations in detritus content, number of leaves, incident radiation, and the epiphyte richness of the ant-garden were the main factors explaining the variation in protist richness. A shift in the functional group composition of protists between bromeliads tended by different ant species suggested that mutualistic ants indirectly mediate changes in the microbial food web.
ISSN: 1439-1791

hal-00817519
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00817519

Éditeur(s) : Elsevier Science Bv
Résumé : In tropical shrimp ponds, the increasing of feed input, concomitantly with the stocking shrimp biomass, induces an eutrophication of the ecosystem. Although difficult to maintain, its stability is required to guarantee the success of the culture. A 110-day period of phytoplankton and bacterioplankton stock and dynamics in an earthen pond (1.2 ha area, 1 m depth) was monitored using flow cytometry to provide baseline information on community characteristics and ecosystem instability. Seven autotrophic cell types were identified over the whole sampling period. Prokaryotic cells included Synechococcus sp., a group named UNK which presented an atypical new flow cytometric signature and picoeukaryotes (PEUK). Nanophytoplankton cells were represented by 4 groups: NAN1, NAN2, NAN3 and Cryptophytes. During the first part of the survey, picophytoplankton dominated the phytoplanktonic assemblage. The mean abundance of total cells (up to 8 x 10(6) cells mL(-1)) was among the highest recorded in marine and brackish waters. Bacterial abundance and production ranged from 0.8 to 5.1 x 10(7) cells mL(-1) and from 30 to 110 mu g C L-1 h(-1). A shift from pico to nanophytoplankton abundance was observed for a few days from d 96. During this period, heterotrophic bacteria production and abundance suddenly dropped, implying a change in the functioning of the microbial loop. This shift was concomitant with a significant shrimp mortality outbreak due to Vibrio penaeicida, the etiological agent of a disease known as Syndrome 93, which affects the shrimp industry in New Caledonia. This survey suggests that flow cytometric analysis could be used for the monitoring of aquaculture systems to improve our understanding of the complex phytoplankton and bacterial dynamics of these systems and its potential influence on disease development. (c) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Aquaculture (0044-8486) (Elsevier Science Bv), 2010-12 , Vol. 310 , N. 1-2 , P. 112-121

Droits : 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00029/14068/11312.pdf
DOI:10.1016/j.aquaculture.2010.10.022
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00029/14068/

Résumé : Les mattes de procaryotes constituent une niche écologique diversifiée. peu étudié!<..en mangrove et jamais décrjte dans les Antilles. L'objectif de cette thèse est de décrire les procaryotes filamenteux reposant sur le sédiment marin et de caractériser les interactions entre la matte, milieu et entre les différents micro-organismes. Nous avons d'abord caractérisé les micro-organismes majoritaires de la matte par le séquençage de l'ADNr 16S et des hybridations moléculaires (FISH). Il a ainsi été possible de décrire deux nouvelles espèces de Beggiatoaceae dont la structure a été étudiée par microscopie électronique. De plus, afin de caractériser l'environnement chimique de ces bactéries, des capteurs potentiométriques ont été utilisés. Ils ont permis de démontrer que les Beggiaotaceae oxydaient les sulfures en prélevant l'oxygène du milieu, tandis que des analyses de microscopie couplées à de l'EDX ont mis en évidence des réserves de soufre intracellulaires dans ces bactéries. Le séquençage de l'ADNr 16S des cyanobactéries filamenteuses a mis en évidence quatre nouvelles espèces de l'ord~e des Oscillatoriales. Deux d'entre elles, du genre Planktothricoides ont révélé une toxicité positive sur les Artemia sp:, les deux autres ont été identifiées comme proches d'Oscillatoria spongeliae, une espèce symbiotique d'éponge, bien que les coupes uItrafines d'une de ces souches aient montré une morphologie interne proche des Tychonema. L'analyse des données a permis d'étoffer les connaissances sur les communautés microbiennes de mangrove et constitue une base intéressante de travail sur la contribution des micro-organismes au fonctionnement de l'écosystème mangrove dans son ensemble
Procaryotic mats are ecological niches, occuring in many ecosystems. Those structures are little studied in marine mangrove sediment and have never been described in West Indies. The purpose ofthis thesis is to characterize the interactions between the mat and the environment, and between the different filamentous micro-organisms living into the mat. In a first place, we characterized the mainly micro-organisrns of the mat by sequencing 16S rDNA. We confirmed these sequences by molecular hybridization (FISH) with specific probes designed from sequences obtained. Thus, it was possible to describe two new Beggiatoaceae strains, whose structure has been studied by electronic microscopy. Furthemore, we used potentiometric captors in situ and in laboratory, by creating a mesocosm, in order to define the chemical environment where involved these bacteria. These experiences proved that the Beggiatoaceae of the mat oxidized the sulfur taking the oxygen from the medium, while the microscopic analysis coupled with EDX showed intracellular sulfur granules into the bacteria. The study of the filamentous cyanobacteria of the mat highlighted four new cyanobacteria strains, all studied by electronic rmcroscopy. Two of them belongs to Planktothrlcoides genus and showed positive toxicity on Artemia salina. The others species are close to Oscillatorla spongeliae, a sponge symbiont, nevertheless, one ofthem showed an intemal morphology close to Tychonema. The analysis of the different results adduces sorne knowledge about mangrove microbial communities. Furthermore, this study can be used as an interesting base to study the micro-organisms contribution in functioning mangrove ecosystem

http://www.theses.fr/2013AGUY0614/document

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Frontiers Media
Résumé : International audience
Crustose coralline algae (CCA) are major benthic calcifiers that play crucial roles in coral reef ecosystems. Two diseases affecting CCA have recently been investigated: coralline white band syndrome (CWBS) and coralline white patch disease (CWPD). These diseases can trigger major losses in CCA cover on tropical coral reefs, but their causative agents remain unknown. Here, we provide data from the first investigation of the bacterial communities associated with healthy and diseased CCA tissues. We show that Neogoniolithon mamillare diseased tissues had distinct microbial communities compared to healthy tissues and demonstrate that CWBS and CWPD were associated with different pathobiomes, indicating that they had different disease causations. CWBS tissues were composed of opportunistic bacteria, and the origin of the disease was undetermined. In contrast, a vibrio related to Vibrio tubiashii characterized the CWPD pathobiome, suggesting that it could be a putative disease agent and supporting the case of a temperature dependent disease associated with global warming.
ISSN: 1664-302X

Droits : http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/
hal-01589805
http://hal.upmc.fr/hal-01589805
http://hal.upmc.fr/hal-01589805/document
http://hal.upmc.fr/hal-01589805/file/fmicb-08-01686.pdf
DOI : 10.3389/fmicb.2017.01686

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Wiley
Résumé : International audience
Clin Microbiol Infect 2012; 18 (Suppl. 4): 4043 Abstract In order to study complex microbial communities and their associated mobile genetic elements, such as the human gut microbiome, evolutionists could explore their genetic diversity with shared sequence networks. In particular, the detection of remarkable structures in gene networks of the gut microbiome could serve to identify important functions within the community, and would ease comparison of data sets from microbiomes of various sources (human, ape, mouse etc.) in a single analysis.
ISSN: 1198-743X

hal-01544804
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01544804
DOI : 10.1111/j.1469-0691.2012.03856.x

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Wiley
Résumé : International audience
1. A substantial fraction of the freshwater available in neotropical forests is impounded within the rosettes of bromeliads that form aquatic islands in a terrestrial matrix. The ecosystem functioning of bromeliads is known to be influenced by the composition of the contained community but it is not clear whether bromeliad food webs remain functionally similar against a background of variation in the understorey environment. 2. We considered a broad range of environmental conditions, including incident light and incoming litter, and quantified the distribution of a very wide range of freshwater organisms (from viruses to macroinvertebrates) to determine the factors that influence the functional structure of bromeliad food webs in samples taken from 171 tank-bromeliads. 3. We observed a gradient of detritus-based to algal-based food webs from the understorey to the overstorey. Algae, rotifers and collector and predatory invertebrates dominated bromeliad food webs in exposed areas, whereas filter-feeding insects had their highest densities in shaded forest areas. Viruses, bacteria and fungi showed no clear density patterns. Detritus decomposition is mainly due to microbial activity in understorey bromeliads where filter feeders are the main consumers of microbial and particulate organic matter (POM). Algal biomass may exceed bacterial biomass in sun-exposed bromeliads where amounts of detritus were lower but functional diversity was highest. 4. Our results provide evidence that tank-bromeliads, which grow in a broad range of ecological conditions, promote aquatic food web diversity in neotropical forests. Moreover, although bromeliad ecosystems have been categorised as detritus-based systems in the literature, we show that algal production can support a non-detrital food web in these systems.
ISSN: 0046-5070

hal-00819103
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00819103

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Wiley
Résumé : International audience
Three soil DNA extraction procedures (homemade protocols and commercial kit) varying in their practicability were applied to contrasting soils to evaluate their efficiency in recovering: (i) soil DNA and (ii) bacterial diversity estimated by 16S rDNA pyrosequencing. Significant differences in DNA yield were systematically observed between tested procedures. For certain soils, 10 times more DNA was recovered with one protocol than with the others. About 15 000 sequences of 16S rDNA were obtained for each sample which were clustered to draw rarefaction curves. These curves, as well as the PCA ordination of community composition based on OTU clustering, did not reveal any significant difference between procedures. Nevertheless, significant differences between procedures were highlighted by the taxonomic identification of sequences obtained at the phylum to genus levels. Depending on the soil, differences in the number of genera detected ranged from 1% to 26% between the most and least efficient procedures, mainly due to a poorer capacity to recover populations belonging to Actinobacteria, Firmicutes or Crenarchaeota. This study enabled us to rank the relative efficiencies of protocols for their recovery of soil molecular microbial biomass and bacterial diversity and to help choosing an appropriate soil DNA extraction procedure adapted to novel sequencing technologies.
ISSN: 1751-7915

hal-01546177
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01546177
DOI : 10.1111/j.1751-7915.2011.00307.x

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD BioMed Central
Résumé : International audience
Background: Increasingly, similarity networks are being used for evolutionary analyses of molecular datasets. These networks are very useful, in particular for the analysis of gene sharing, lateral gene transfer and for the detection of distant homologs. Currently, such analyses require some computer programming skills due to the limited availability of user-friendly freely distributed software. Consequently, although appealing, the construction and analyses of these networks remain less familiar to biologists than do phylogenetic approaches. Results: In order to ease the use of similarity networks in the community of evolutionary biologists, we introduce a software program, EGN, that runs under Linux or MacOSX. EGN automates the reconstruction of gene and genome networks from nucleic and proteic sequences. EGN also implements statistics describing genetic diversity in these samples, for various user-defined thresholds of similarities. In the interest of studying the complexity of evolutionary processes affecting microbial evolution, we applied EGN to a dataset of 571,044 proteic sequences from the three domains of life and from mobile elements. We observed that, in Borrelia, plasmids play a different role than in most other eubacteria. Rather than being genetic couriers involved in lateral gene transfer, Borrelia's plasmids and their genes act as private genetic goods, that contribute to the creation of genetic diversity within their parasitic hosts. Conclusion: EGN can be used for constructing, analyzing, and mining molecular datasets in evolutionary studies. The program can help increase our knowledge of the processes through which genes from distinct sources and/or from multiple genomes co-evolve in lineages of cellular organisms.
ISSN: 1471-2148

hal-01544799
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01544799
DOI : 10.1186/1471-2148-13-146

Résumé : Les biofilms électroactifs (EA) sont des consortia bactériens mono ou pluri-espèces, qui ont la faculté d’échanger des électrons provenant de leur métabolisme avec les surfaces solides conductrices des électrodes. Cette découverte est à l’origine d’un nouveau dispositif énergétique : la pile à combustible microbienne (PACM). Depuis les années 2000, la littérature scientifique sur les biofilms EA et sur les PACM explose, notamment grâce à la découverte de bactéries capables de transférer par voie directe – par des pili ou protéines transmembranaires – des électrons vers les électrodes. Plusieurs sources de bactéries EA ont été à ce jour découvertes, allant de cultures pures à des communautés bactériennes plus complexes. Ces dernières sont issues de milieux aqueux naturels (milieux marins ou d’eau douce), industriels ou urbains (effluents d’industrie, eaux usées domestiques). La plupart de ces sources bactériennes proviennent d’environnements de climat tempéré. Dans ce travail de thèse, plusieurs sols de milieux humides de la Guyane ont été identifiés comme étant de sources de bactéries EA. Les expériences menées sous potentiel d’électrode imposé et constant ont permis d’étudier l’adhésion à la surface d’électrode des biofilms EA issus de la flore endogène des milieux sélectionnés. La formation de bioanodes et de biocathodes a été possible en présence respectivement d’acétate et d’oxygène dans les milieux. Une étude par voltammétrie cyclique a mis en évidence les pics d’oxydo-réduction en lien avec les échanges électroniques du biofilm EA et de l’électrode. En optimisant la procédure de formation des biofilms EA par chronoampérométrie (surface d’électrode plus importante, apport en continu et progressif du substrat), une densité de courant maximale de 12 A/m2 et un rendement faradique de 24 % ont été obtenus. Une autre méthode pour former des biofilms EA à partir d’un milieu choisi, la mangrove, a consisté à utiliser deux prototypes de PACM : une pile à compartiment unique et à cathode à air, et une pile benthique. Dans les deux cas, les biofilms EA ont pu être formés et étudiés, complétant certaines observations faites sous potentiel imposé. La PACM benthique s’est avérée être la plus proche d’une application à grande échelle puisqu’elle a été complètement autonome : anode et cathode utilisant uniquement le milieu pour fonctionner. Elle a pu être étudiée en laboratoire comme sur le terrain.
Electroactive biofilms (EA) are mono or multi-species bacterial consortia, which have the ability to exchange electrons from their metabolism with solid surfaces of conductive electrodes. This discovery is the basis for a device of energy production: microbial fuel cell (MFC). Since the 2000s, the scientific literature on EA biofilms and MFC explodes, thanks to the discovery of bacteria that are able to transfer directly – by pili or trans-membrane proteins – electrons to electrodes. Several sources of EA bacteria were discovered to date, ranging from pure cultures to more complex bacterial communities. Those last are from natural (marine and freshwater), industrial or urban (industrial effluents, domestic wastewater) aqueous environments. However, the vast majority of these are from temperate environments.In this thesis, several wetland soils of French Guiana have been identified as sources of EA bacteria. Experiments under poised and constant electrode potential were used to examine adherence to the electrode surface of EA biofilms from the endogenous flora of selected environments. Formation of bioanodes and biocathodes was possible in the presence respectively of acetate and oxygen in the media. A study by cyclic voltammetry showed the redox peaks related to electronic exchanges between EA biofilm and electrode. By optimizing the process of EA biofilm formation by chronoamperometry (larger electrode surface, providing continuous and progressive substrate), a maximum current density of 12 A/m2 and a coulombic efficiency of 24% were obtained.Another method to form EA biofilms from a chosen medium (mangrove) was to use two MFC prototypes: a single compartment and air cathode one, and a benthic one. In both cases, the EA biofilms have been trained and studied supplementing certain observations made under poised polarization. MFC benthic proved to be the closest to a wide application since it was completely autonomous, anode and cathode only using the medium to function. It has been studied in the laboratory and in the field.

http://www.theses.fr/2012AGUY0560/document

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD HUMANA PRESS INC
Résumé : International audience
Ever since Darwin, the familiar genealogical pattern known as the Tree of Life (TOL) has been prominent in evolutionary thinking and has dominated not only systematics, but also the analysis of the units of evolution. However, recent findings indicate that the evolution of DNA, especially in prokaryotes and such DNA vehicles as viruses and plasmids, does not follow a unique tree-like pattern. Because evolutionary patterns track a greater range of processes than those captured in genealogies, genealogical patterns are in fact only a subset of a broader set of evolutionary patterns. This fact suggests that evolutionists who focus exclusively on genealogical patterns are blocked from providing a significant range of genuine evolutionary explanations. Consequently, we highlight challenges to tree-based approaches, and point the way toward more appropriate methods to study evolution (although we do not present them in technical detail). We argue that there is significant benefit in adopting wider range of models, evolutionary representations, and evolutionary explanations, based on an analysis of the full range of evolutionary processes. We introduce an ecosystem orientation into evolutionary thinking that highlights the importance of ``type 1 coalitions'' (functionally related units with genetic exchanges, aka ``friends with genetic benefits''), ``type 2 coalitions'' (functionally related units without genetic exchanges), ``communal interactions,'' and ``emergent evolutionary properties.'' On this basis, we seek to promote the study of (especially prokaryotic) evolution with dynamic evolutionary networks, which are less constrained than the TOL, and to provide new ways to analyze an expanded range of evolutionary units (genetic modules, recombined genes, plasmids, phages and prokaryotic genomes, pangenomes, microbial communities) and evolutionary processes. Finally, we discuss some of the conceptual and practical questions raised by such network-based representation.
EVOLUTIONARY GENOMICS: STATISTICAL AND COMPUTATIONAL METHODS, VOL 2

ISBN : 978-1-61779-584-8
hal-01544801
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01544801
DOI : 10.1007/978-1-61779-585-5_4