Artificial Ecosystem Selection

• Published in: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences - PNAS Vol. 97; no. 16; pp. 9110 - 9114
• Main Authors: Swenson, William, Wilson, David Sloan, Elias, Roberta
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 01-08-2000; National Acad Sciences; National Academy of Sciences; The National Academy of Sciences
• Series: From the Cover
• Subjects: Acid soils; Agricultural soils; Aquatic ecosystems; Artificial selection; Biological Evolution; Biological Sciences; Biology; Ecosystem; Ecosystems; Evolution; Lentic systems; Marine ecosystems; Phenotypic traits; Selection, Genetic; Soil ecology; Species
• ISSN: 0027-8424; 1091-6490
• DOI: 10.1073/pnas.150237597

Artificial selection has been practiced for centuries to shape the properties of individual organisms, providing Darwin with a powerful argument for his theory of natural selection. We show that the properties of whole ecosystems can also be shaped by artificial selection procedures. Ecosystems initiated in the laboratory vary phenotypically and a proportion of the variation is heritable, despite the fact that the ecosystems initially are composed of thousands of species and millions of individuals. Artificial ecosystem selection can be used for practical purposes, illustrates an important role for complex interactions in evolution, and challenges a widespread belief that selection is most effective at lower levels of the biological hierarchy.