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E. coli growth curves. Plotted is the fraction of E. coli lacking the YbeB gene in a population that started at a ratio of 1:1 (50%:50%) wildtype:mutant cells. The YbeB mutant is defect in adapting to a change from minimal (M9) to rich (LB) media. Mutants in the gene YbeB ("mutant") are unable to adapt to minimal media and drop out of the population (green line).