Mechanisms of population dynamics in bacteria — linking gene expression dynamics to individual demographic fates

• Applicant: Dr. Ulrich Steiner
• Subject Area: Evolution, Anthropology
• Term: since 2020
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 430174701

Population dynamics inform us on the history and the future prospect of populations and species. Such dynamics are driven by the survival and reproduction of individuals. Survival and reproduction are not only determined by the environment and the genes, but also by less understood and little investigated phenotypic variance governed by stochastic events. Even genetically identical individuals in identical environments likely have different demographic fates, i.e. show individual heterogeneity. The proposed research project aims at a mechanistic understanding on population dynamics by quantitatively bridging the gap between individual-level gene expression dynamics, demographic fates of individuals, and population dynamics. To achieve such understanding, I will use a cutting-edge microfluidic system to quantify transcription factor signal dynamics throughout the life of thousands of individual bacteria and link these dynamics to population dynamics by parameterizing structured population models. The project will provide quantitative mechanistic insights on ecological and evolutionary processes that drive population dynamics. In doing so, I will tap into stochastic influences that are a fundamental but largely overlooked aspect of evolution and not covered by classical evolutionary theories.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants
• Co-Investigator: Dr. Alexandro Rodriguez Rojas