title: Evolution of temperature optimum in Thermotogaceae and the prediction of trait values of uncultured organisms.
abstract: Quantitative characterization of the mode and rate of phenotypic evolution is rarely applied to prokaryotes. Here, we present an analysis of temperature optimum (T (opt)) evolution in the thermophilic family Thermotogaceae, which has a large number of cultured representatives. We use log-rate-interval analysis to show that T (opt) evolution in Thermotogaceae is consistent with a Brownian motion (BM) evolutionary model. The properties of the BM model are used to a establish confidence intervals on the unknown phenotypic trait value of an uncultured organism, given its distance to a close relative with known trait value. Cross-validation by bootstrapping indicates that the predictions are robust.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Geobiology, University of Bergen, Allegaten, Norway. Hakon.Dahle@bio.uib.no
authors.forename: Håkon
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Dahle
authors.forename: Bjarte
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Hannisdal
authors.forename: Bjørn Olav
authors.initials: BO
authors.lastname: Steinsbu
authors.forename: Hege
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ommedal
authors.forename: Jørn
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Einen
authors.forename: Sigmund
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Jensen
authors.forename: Oyvind
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Larsen
authors.forename: Lise
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Ovreås
authors.forename: Svein
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Norland
mesh_terms: D019143:Evolution, Molecular; D016965:Gram-Negative Anaerobic Straight, Curved, and Helical Rods / Q000235:genetics*; D006358:Hot Temperature; D008954:Models, Biological; D019655:Quantitative Trait, Heritable