Table 2.

Comparison of the K-values for the test and ancestral mutualistic consortia

Experiment	aMutualistic consortium	b P
Evolution experiment	A1	0.0013
	A2	0.0013
	A3	0.0013
	A4	0.0013
	A6	0.0013
	A7	0.0021
	A8	0.0013
	B1	0.0003
	B2	0.0003
	B7	0.0004
c,dCrossing experiment	Panc + Tevol,a	0.015
(mutualistic consortium B2)	Panc + Tevol,b	0.028
	Pevol + Tanc	0.17
	Pevol + Tevol,a	0.0002
	Pevol + Tevol,b	0.0009
	Pevol + Tevol,a + Tevol,b	0.0002

^aOnly those consortia that avoided extinction were analyzed. ^bBold font: statistically significant differences between the test and ancestral mutualistic consortia (P < 0.01). ^cDefinitions: P_anc, ancestral strain of BW25113 (∆proC); T_anc, ancestral strain of BW25113 (∆trpC); P_evol, evolved strain of BW25113 (∆proC); T_evol,a, evolved strain of BW25113 (∆trpC); T_evol,b, evolved strain of BW25113 (∆trpC). ^dT_evol,a and T_evol,b are two genetically different strains of BW25113 (∆trpC) that emerged within the B2 mutualistic consortium