Mapping Trade-Off Dynamics in Yeast: A Multi-Omics Pareto Approach

Understanding trade-offs between microbial traits is crucial as they reveal how organisms balance competing objectives, such as growth and survival. Trade-offs shape evolutionary and ecological dynamics by influencing how species adapt to their environments.

Despite their significance, our knowledge of trait development, trade-offs, and their constraints remains limited due to existing studies being based on few strains and environments, and the lack of a comprehensive description of trade-off dynamics.This research project aims to describe yeast trade-off mechanisms and evolutionary dynamics through an innovative approach that combines omics data, Pareto optimization, and experimental evolution.Initially, I will use data from over 1000 Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains to characterize yeast trade-offs using Pareto fronts.

Subsequently, omics data will be integrated to elucidate the trade-off mechanisms.

In the last phase, I will evolve strains using different evolution strategies to explore the dynamics of trade-offs and determine whether there are definitive phenotypic and genetic thresholds that resist further evolution.The findings on S. cerevisiae will have broader implications, informing optimization problems in more complex organisms and research fields like antibiotic resistance.

Collaboration with experts from Harvard and Gothenburg University, along with cutting-edge technology for automated evolution and phenotyping, will drive the success of this project.