Eric Libby

Obligate multicellularity circumvents population genetic barriers to collective-level adaptation

This study shows obligate multicellularity reduces population genetic barriers to collective adaptation in yeast by enabling rapid group size increases through whole genome duplication.

From cooperation to predation: the evolutionary origins of phagocytosis

This study uses a dynamical systems framework to show phagocytosis can evolve from cooperative microbial communities and coexist with original cooperators under specific ecological conditions.

The fitness costs of reproductive specialization scale inversely with organismal size

The paper shows that the fitness costs of reproductive specialization decrease with organism size, using a population genetic framework and empirical data from algae.

The limits of information in precise regulation of early multicellular life cycles

This study models multicellular life cycles using intrinsic information sources and finds inherent trade-offs between flexibility and regularity in their regulation.

Forecasting multi-trait resistance evolution under antibiotic stress

This study uses a mathematical framework to simulate in silico evolution of Pseudomonas aeruginosa under antibiotic stress, revealing mutational patterns and resistance mechanisms.

Endosymbiosis: metabolic trade-offs drive reproductive synchronization

The paper examines the fitness consequences of reproductive synchronization in endosymbiotic relationships, finding it costly for hosts but beneficial for guests, with synchronization increasing overall fitness when new endosymbioses are rare.

The dynamics of thermal stress events determine whether thermotolerant endosymbionts improve or hamper survival of coral reefs

This study models how thermal stress patterns and symbiont thermotolerance affect coral reef survival, finding that moderate stress allows acclimation while frequent stress leads to temporary survival with reduced growth.

Competition and cooperation: The plasticity of bacteria interactions across environments

The paper assesses microbial interactions across environments using genome-scale metabolic networks, finding that most bacterial pairs can both compete and cooperate depending on resource availability.

Adaptive evolutionary trajectories in complexity: repeated transitions between unicellularity and differentiated multicellularity

This study uses mathematical models to show that repeated exposure to abiotic stress can lead to adaptive transitions between unicellularity and differentiated multicellularity, with complexity increasing or decreasing depending on mutation order and fitness effects.

Ecological resource competition as a driver of metallome evolution

The paper explains the evolutionary timing of nitrogenase isozymes by linking ecological competition for molybdenum to changes in environmental conditions after the Great Oxidation Event.

Programmed cell death can increase the efficacy of microbial bet-hedging

This study shows that programmed cell death can enhance microbial bet-hedging by promoting phenotypic diversification through population turnover and spatial structure.

Time-dependent fitness effects can drive bet-hedging populations extinct

The paper shows that bet-hedging strategies can lead to population extinction when environmental fluctuations and resource competition act in opposition over different time scales.