In the face of fluctuating environmental conditions, bet hedging — stochastic switching between phenotypes — can be an advantageous strategy. But how does bet hedging evolve? The de novo evolution of bet hedging in experimental bacterial populations subjected to an environment that continually favoured new phenotypic states is now reported. The findings suggest that risk-spreading strategies may have been among the earliest evolutionary solutions to life in fluctuating environments.
- Hubertus J. E. Beaumont
- Jenna Gallie
- Paul B. Rainey
