Consequences of a resistance cost or a finite growth rate below the staircase. Consequences of a resistance cost or a finite growth rate below the staircase. Circles present simulation results; lines are smooth interpolations. (A) The adaptation rate is insensitive to the cost s unless , where δ ' ≡ δ + 2ν. (B) It is also insensitive to the growth rate of the bacteria below the staircase, r0. The regime r0 > δ is outside the scope of this study, because there adaptation is not required to colonize all compartments. Nevertheless, we see that the adaptation rate first increases, but then rapidly decreases as r0 approaches r; in this limit a founder, experiences strong competition from less-resistant immigrants, which grow at a very similar rate r0 ≈ r. (Parameters are as in Fig. 1 except that μf = 10-6/h in Fig. 4A). Rutger Hermsen et al. PNAS 2012;109:27:10775-10780 ©2012 by National Academy of Sciences