Caenorhabditis elegans and Serratia marcescens host-parasite coevolution model strains derived through mutagenesis and experimental evolution
Abstract
Here we present a detailed description of the derivation of a collection of Caenorhabditis elegans and Serratia marcescens strains and populations that have been mutagenized and passaged in a series of experimental evolution projects over the past two decades. These experimental strains and populations provide a powerful resource for the study of host-parasite coevolution and have so far been used to demonstrate (among other things) that coevolutionary interactions with a virulent parasite can select for biparental sex in host populations (Morran et al. 2011, Slowinski et al. 2016, 2023); that local adaptation by parasites depends on host mating system (Morran et al. 2014), and that gene flow can accelerate adaptation to parasites (Lewis et al. 2023). We hope this paper clarifies the history and context of these strains and populations, and standardizes the nomenclature used to describe them by researchers who use them in the future.
Related
- Culture regime as an experimental variable in Caenorhabditis elegans: Cross-format evidence, reproducibility constraints, and proposed minimum reporting framework.
- No passive sidekick: mitochondrial compensatory evolution during adaptation of ETC mutant lines in Caenorhabditis elegans
- Experimental evolution reveals genetic routes for adaptive loss of the antibacterial type VI secretion system
- Multimodal Plant–Animal Communication: Signaling Mechanisms, Coevolution, and Environmental Disruption
- Phage therapy for multidrug-resistant Serratia marcescens infection: mechanisms, preclinical evidence, and translational challenges
BibTeX
@misc{slowinski2026caenorhabditis,
title = {{Caenorhabditis elegans and Serratia marcescens host-parasite coevolution model strains derived through mutagenesis and experimental evolution}},
author = {Samuel Preston Slowinski and Levi T. Morran},
howpublished = {EcoEvoRxiv},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.32942/x2pd80},
url = {https://ecoevorxiv.org/repository/view/15141/},
note = {CC BY-NC-ND 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - Caenorhabditis elegans and Serratia marcescens host-parasite coevolution model strains derived through mutagenesis and experimental evolution
AU - Samuel Preston Slowinski
AU - Levi T. Morran
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/23
PB - EcoEvoRxiv
DO - 10.32942/x2pd80
UR - https://ecoevorxiv.org/repository/view/15141/
AB - Here we present a detailed description of the derivation of a collection of Caenorhabditis elegans and Serratia marcescens strains and populations that have been mutagenized and passaged in a series of experimental evolution projects over the past two decades. These experimental strains and populations provide a powerful resource for the study of host-parasite coevolution and have so far been used to demonstrate (among other things) that coevolutionary interactions with a virulent parasite can select for biparental sex in host populations (Morran et al. 2011, Slowinski et al. 2016, 2023); that local adaptation by parasites depends on host mating system (Morran et al. 2014), and that gene flow can accelerate adaptation to parasites (Lewis et al. 2023). We hope this paper clarifies the history and context of these strains and populations, and standardizes the nomenclature used to describe them by researchers who use them in the future.
ER -